A Hard Story
by MickeySLee
Summary: Fate takes a different turn, Harry and Draco are friends (not that anyone knows that) before first year, only Draco begins to act differently. The two share a secret, bringing them closer as outside forces attempt to tear them apart. Their years at Hogwarts are about to get very interesting. Secret Relationship Drarry, rated M! Expanded Summary inside.
1. Year 1

**Summary: **_That fateful meeting in Madam Malkin's happened just a little differently, and Harry and Draco are friends before first year. Unfortunately, Lucius Malfoy is unhappy about that, so Harry and Draco break off their friendship, in public, at least. In private, they continue on, their relationship developing as they become closer. How would things be different with an underlying friendship beyond what the students are allowed to see? Harry's years at Hogwarts are about to get a little more interesting. Goes 1-6th year. Years 1-3 are more of a prologue; the action begins Harry's 4th year. The further into the series, the more twists occur._

**A/N: I was on FF a couple years ago before deciding to come back. The formatting appears weird to me, I've tried to upload/copy & paste 4 different times, and it still looks really scrunched up. I've changed to double space, but it still looks the same to me. Is this normal? Does it look alright? Does anyone have a suggestion or has experienced this problem? I do apologize if I'm doing anything wrong, I'm sure I'll figure it out. **

**I wanted to explain the title. This idea has been on my mind for so long, that it was difficult to begin writing, so my nickname for the story was that hard story I'm working on. Then, I realized it could be a shortened version of Har-ry's and D-raco's names. So it became a funny word play.**

* * *

The first time Harry saw him was coming up the steps of Gringotts as he was going down. The Bank was magnificent, it held so much attention that Harry almost missed the boy with white blonde hair and silvery gray eyes, but they bumped into each other, and years later, Harry would be thankful that they had. At the time, however, the other boy sneered, "watch where you're going," without stopping. Harry didn't have a chance to apologize as they were swept in opposite directions.

Something about the boy made him want to turn around and watch him leave, but he was quickly out of sight.

Harry didn't think about the boy once he was inside the bank, but less than an hour later, Hagrid left Harry at Madam Malkin's with a blush and a mumbled excuse. When Harry followed a helpful lady to the back where there was a fitting area, he was startled and happy to find the Blonde Boy there. It appeared he was happy to see Harry as well, for a smile stretched across his face, and although he looked condescending, it lit up his face enough Harry didn't mind.

"It's you!" The boy exclaimed.

Harry shrugged as he stepped up on the stool. "It's me."

"Glad to see you figured out how to walk. What's your name?" Instead of being upset, Harry snorted at that, glad he had found someone who had a similar sense of humor.

"Harry." Harry said simply, not really wanting a repeat of the scene in the Leaky Cauldron. "What's yours?"

"I'm Draco. Are you a First Year, too?" Draco turned slightly so a sales girl could hem the side of his robe.

"Yeah." He was being boring. No one his age had ever wanted to talk to him for long, so he didn't have a lot of experience with interesting conversation. What should he say? While he was trying to come up with something, Draco went on talking about where his mother and father were and after that, the houses at Hogwarts.

"I don't know," Harry answered when Draco asked what house he was going to be in. "What's the difference?"

"Well," Draco drawled, "Slytherin is the best of course, then you have Ravenclaw, bunch of know-it-alls, Hufflepuffs are dunderheads, then you have Gryffindors. They're the enemies of Slytherins, all brave and noble." The last part was said in a mocking voice.

"Oh," Said Harry, starting to feel a little bad. There was nothing really wrong about this boy, but he was rubbing Harry the wrong way. He didn't like it when people were mean to each other, even if no one it applied to was in the room. What if he ended up in one of the other Houses? "How do you know which house you get into?"

"I don't know," Draco grudgingly admitted. "My Father says it's important to expect the unexpected, so he didn't tell me, but I think it's some kind of test."

"A test?" Harry blanched. He was doomed. "I bet I'll fail, and they won't even let me in." His heart began to hammer away in his chest, he would have sat down if someone wasn't at his feet still working on his robes.

"Hey," Draco said suddenly, all signs of condescension melting from him. He was facing Harry now as the seamstress worked on his left side. "I'm sure it'll be ok. I've never heard of anyone being enrolled only to kick them out before classes even start. I bet you'll be in Slytherin with me."

"Really?" Harry asked, feeling better now that Draco wasn't being mean. Maybe he had misjudged him.

"Yeah. You just need to be brilliant, and you are, so obviously, you're in." There was an air of prestige with him again, but this time it was directed towards Harry. Maybe Draco was just nervous, and he had a mask that was his way of coping. Harry tended to get quiet and fidgety when he was nervous, it drove Aunt Petunia mad.

"Thanks, I bet you're right."

"What are friends for? And you bet I'm right, remember that, because it's always true."

Harry laughed, actually laughed, even if it was really breathy. Were they really friends? His first real friend his own age of his very own. He was afraid his grin might split his face.

"All done!" The girl working on Draco's robes announced. "I'll bring these to the register for you, if you want to look around some more."

Draco waved her off, coming to stand next to Harry, staring critically at his robes. "This needs to come in another two inches," he said, pinching the cuffs in how he wanted them.

The woman who was working on his robes scowled, "I don't need help, dearie, why don't you look around?"

Harry would have it were him. Apparently, Draco didn't mind confrontation. "He's paying good gold for these robes and he deserves to get them fitted properly. Or should he go somewhere a seamstress can take a critique?"

The Seamstress bit her lip but nodded slightly. "Are you wearing anything under this sweater, dear? It would be fitted better without it." Oh, that was bad. Oh, a bad situation had just unfolded.

Harry had bruises on his arms from his latest bouts with Dudley and the Dursleys, and if his shirt rode up, they would see even more. As he stammered, Draco rolled his eyes. "Just go to the dressing room, go on."

More thankful than he could believe, Harry hopped off the stool and raced towards the door Draco had pointed to. He changed quickly, leaving his trousers on, and was back on the stool in no time.

"See that's better already." Harry's stomach did a strange flip at Draco's approval.

"You'll be wearing clothing under the robes," the seamstress pointed out, perhaps trying to gain favor in the conversation but Draco didn't acknowledge her.

"Why are you wearing muggle clothes anyway? Are they supposed to be so big?" Draco picked up the sweater Harry had been wearing between his pointer and thumb, face screwed up in a look of disgust.

"No, I just get most of my clothes from hand-me-downs from my fat cousin." He really got all his clothes that way, but Draco didn't need to know that.

Draco laughed, dropping the sweater. "We'll have to go shopping after this, find some clothing that fits. You'll need it for when you're not wearing uniforms, and I won't be seen in your company if you're wearing that."

Harry was glad he had gotten to know Draco enough that he could realize Draco was mostly joking…. right?

"Draco!" A voice came from the door. It belonged to a beautiful woman who had to be Draco's mother or older sister, with her long blonde hair and haughty expression. "Are you finished yet?" She asked as she got closer.

"Yes, mother, I was just waiting on my friend. We were going to get some clothes for him."

Draco's mother's eyes roved over Harry briefly, went back to Draco, then immediately returned to Harry's forehead. They widened, but that was the only indication that she noticed who Draco's new friend was. "Lovely," She said in a charming voice, "but your father is waiting. I'll purchase your robes, you say goodbye to your friend."

She was leaving when Draco protested, "But Mother-!"

"Draco." Was all she needed to say, in a scary mother tone of voice, for Draco to quieten.

After she had left, Draco turned back to Harry, a slightly sheepish expression on his face. "Well, I'll see you on the train at least. Promise me you'll buy a couple extra outfits, alright?"

Harry nodded, wondering if there was a spell to hide things. He didn't want the Dursleys to take his new clothes. He watched as Draco left, his mother's hand on his shoulder leading him out.

Harry managed to find a section that sold non-robes wizard wear and added enough for a week.

* * *

The rest of the summer passed quickly, at the same time as a snail's pace, because Harry simply couldn't wait to go to school. He read and re-read all his school books and the couple other books he had purchased for extra-curricular. He had entered Flourish and Blotts with a goal in mind, to find as many books as possible about the magical world, and at least one on concealing objects. The shopkeeper had recommended several for what Harry asked, and Harry picked the biggest ones.

He had found a fairly simple spell for keeping the Dursleys away from his belongings and after a few attempts succeeded. At least he figured it worked, since they didn't attempt to come near the magical belongings.

He also attempted a couple of the first-year spells as he didn't want to look like a dunderhead on his first day, not being able to do any magic would be awful.

Harry wondered idly if it was the spell that made his Uncle throw his trunk on the sidewalk next to him before driving off laughing with his wife and son. Probably not, he concluded as he dragged his trunk over to a cart.

He found Platform 9 easily enough, and 10, but there was no 9 ¾. After a rather heated discussion with a conductor, he began to panic.

"...Packed with Muggles of course. Come on!" came a voice floating to Harry, and it was one of the most wonderful things he had ever heard. 'Muggle' was a wizarding term, which meant that the red-haired family heading towards him and Platform 9 were wizards.

He had tentatively made friends with Ron, one of the boys from the red-haired family, when he saw the blonde, drawling boy again. Draco, his mind supplied helpfully.

He smiled when he saw him through the window of the compartment door, but it quickly vanished when he saw the look on Draco's face. Gone was the charming boy he had realized Draco was in the later part of their meeting. In his place was a practically snarling, cruel looking boy, flanked by two large boys with condescending cruel expressions.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here." He drawled, looking down his nose at the boys. "Weasley. Trying to rub elbows with the rich and famous. And you, Potter. Don't you know anything about his family? More children than they could ever hope to afford. You'd do better to find better suited friends. Like a Ferret, at least it's a couple steps up from a Weasel."

They were stunned for a moment, but Ron jumped up, fist barred, "Say that again!"

"Why, you too stupid to hear or do you have dirt in your ears as well as on your nose?"

"Get out!" Harry yelled. "And don't come back!"

Malfoy sneered at both of them, "I'm not sure I want to. Look at all this food you have. I bet you tried to buy him off, Potter. Guess you did know how poor he is. OW!" He had buried his hand in the pile of sweets and come out with a rat biting his finger. He screamed and swung his hand around trying and succeeding in knocking it off.

"On second thought, we were just leaving," he was gone, pushing the two burly boys out of the way in his haste.

Ron was laughing, but Harry just stood there staring at the empty doorway. Why had Draco changed so much? Which one was the real Draco?

"I can't believe it, he's gone back to sleep!" Ron said about his rat, Scabbers.

Harry didn't comment. He just closed the compartment door.

* * *

Draco continued to torment Harry and his friends throughout the year. Harry went to his lessons, there was Draco, sneering at him through most of them. Harry made friends with Hermione, after Draco had called her some mean name. Harry got on the quidditch team, thanks to Draco's cruelty. Harry learned about the Philosopher's Stone after Draco challenged him to a duel and didn't show up. Harry got detention in the Forbidden Forest and met Voldemort, again thanks to Draco. It seemed like everything that happened to him that year was somehow, or another related to Draco.

Through it all, Harry mourned the loss of his friend, his first friend, and the nice boy hidden under that ugly exterior. Not that Malfoy was physically ugly, in fact he seemed to get more and more beautiful. It wasn't fair. Harry wanted to forget about that boy he had met in Madam Malkin's, but it was just impossible. As time went on, however, the pain he had associated with losing his friend began to dull and became easier to deal with.

The mystery of the Philosopher's Stone unfolded, distracting him and his friends, but in the back of his mind, he couldn't help contemplating the mystery that was Draco Malfoy.

* * *

There was a voice, speaking to him. Harry's head hurt, and he didn't want to wake up. He was drifting, but there was something about that voice, something that pulled him in. He wanted to hear more, take more in.

His brain caught up more of the words, and he realized someone wasn't talking to him, so much as reading aloud, presumably from a potions book or something similar, he recognized some of the keywords being used. He listened to the gentle, musical words, going back to hearing more of the tone than the actual words. He still didn't want to awaken, but the longer he laid there, listening quietly, the more he wanted to know who it was.

It sounded so familiar, but there was something about it that was uniquely foreign. He peeked one eye open and had a hard time not gasping. It was Draco Malfoy, sitting at his bedside in the hospital wing, reading quietly to him. Harry stared in utter bewilderment, wondering if he was dreaming. It would make more sense than whatever was actually happening.

He opened his other eye and observed Draco—Malfoy. He was acting so strange, being nice, like he had at Madam Malkin's. He didn't want to break the spell of whatever was happening. He had missed Draco, the person he had met in the robe shop, to the point where he looked forward to the times when his 'Malfoy' personality would interact with him. He knew that wasn't healthy, and he wasn't sure what it was about Draco in particular that brought forth that reaction. He had never looked forward to being bullied with anyone else, when he was younger or presently.

Harry suddenly remembered the Philosopher's Stone, and he almost had a violent reaction. Luckily, he stopped himself from jumping, not wanting to startle Draco. The stone had to be safe, otherwise, Harry wouldn't be alive. He relaxed back into the bed, staring at Draco.

Usually, there were hard lines across his face, but it was softened, warm and welcoming. Harry could look at him all day.

Draco glanced in his direction for a second before doing a double take. Their eyes met, Draco's widened and his mouth opened. "Pomfrey said you weren't going to wake up yet!"

Harry blinked, sitting up. "I'm sorry. We can pretend I'm still asleep, if you want to continue."

Draco shook his head. "I need to go, forget you saw me, Potter!" He quickly stood from his chair, but Harry was faster. He lunged over and gripped Draco's wrist.

"Stay, please!" Draco looked back at Harry, his face now riddled with fear. "What's wrong?"

"You wouldn't understand, Scar-Head. Let me go." Draco pulled once on his arm, but it wasn't very strong.

"Why don't you try me? What's going on? Why are you here?" Harry asked.

Draco glanced at the Hospital Wing doors, then back at Harry. "I can't."

"Can't what?" Harry asked in confusion. Draco only appeared more distressed, it hurt Harry to look at. "I wish you would tell me, but I can't force you." His grip loosened, then he let go.

Despite his efforts to break free, Draco did not immediately try to escape. "You're just letting me go?" He asked, some of the fear leaving his face to be replaced by confusion.

Harry shrugged. "I want you to stay, and explain to me why you're here, but I'm not going to even try to make you to do something you don't want to do. If you're worried about someone seeing, I promise, I won't say a word." Draco hesitated, looking towards the hospital wing doors again, before looking back at Harry.

"I shouldn't be here." Draco said quietly.

"You want to be, though," Harry said carefully, looking at him. "Something's stopping you. I always wondered why you suddenly decided to be mean to me, but I didn't think someone was making you. That's it though, isn't it?" Harry's eyes widened as he saw Draco's surprise and disarm. "Is someone threatening you?"

"You don't know anything, Potter." Draco said quietly, trying and failing to put force in his words.

"Then explain it to me, please!" Draco looked down at his hands, not answering. Harry gave him a minute, then slowly reached out to place his hand over both of Draco's. Draco flinched, his hands twitching away, before resuming their place. Draco looked up and met Harry's eyes. Harry looked back, begging him with his eyes as the two stared at each other.

Draco gulped, and Harry was surprised to see the beginnings of tears as Draco looked down.

"I'm so tired of this. I don't want to do it anymore." He said quietly. His hands twitched again, and Harry thought he would pull away, but instead he turned one over so that it was facing Harry's. They weren't quite holding hands, the angle was off, but it was nice.

"What don't you want to do anymore?" Draco shook his head.

"I don't have a choice, I have to." Harry took a deep breath.

"Please, you're not making any sense. Just tell me." Harry waited, and waited. Just when he thought he wasn't going to get anything else out of Draco, he spoke.

"I didn't know it was you, when we first met. I mean, I didn't know you were Harry Potter. It didn't matter. There was something about you that I… liked. I didn't make a real difference to me, but my mother noticed who you were, and told me. I'll admit, I was excited, but it wasn't because it was Harry Potter, it was just, I know it's weird, but I always admired the famous Harry Potter, and I dreamed about us being friends. It felt like my big dream was coming true. Only…"

There was silence again, and Harry tried to take all that in. He didn't like the idea that people only liked him because he was famous, but that didn't sound like what was happening. Draco had liked him before finding out he was the Harry Potter, it sounded more like it was just a bonus to him. His thumb stroked the edge of Draco's hand in comfort and gentle prodding.

"…My father, he…" Draco cleared his throat. "He made it very clear that any sort of friendship would not be tolerated. I argued at first, and refused to sever ties, and threw tantrums. I wasn't used to not getting my way. Father quickly became angry, and…" This time, Harry could tell he didn't just need time.

"What did he do?" He asked quietly, and moved closer, repositioning his hand so he could hold Draco's in comfort. Draco didn't continue.

"My relatives don't like a lot of what I do. They punish me a lot." Harry said quietly. Draco looked up, meeting his eyes. After several long moments, Draco took a deep breath.

"It was more what he didn't do. What he said he would do. He's never been that bad. The things he said he'd do to me though…"

"Can you tell someone?" Harry asked quietly.

Draco shook his head. "I don't think you understand how pureblood families work. I can't tell anyone."

Harry sighed. Despite what Draco thought, he very well could understand that. "If he's hurting you…"

"He won't. Not now that I'm doing what he wants." Draco said firmly. Harry squeezed the hand he was holding lightly.

"So, you did want to be friends, then?" Harry asked quietly.

Draco met his eyes again. "I do. But, like I said, I can't." They sat in silence, both lost in thought. Harry couldn't believe what he had heard. It was so unfair. There wasn't anything Harry could put his finger on about why he liked Draco so much, but he knew he did. There was something special about him. Harry couldn't believe he had lost him, before he really even had him. "I heard about what happened, and I was worried about you. I didn't expect you to even know I was here."

"That was sweet." Harry said softly. "Thank you. What were you reading?"

"Oh, just a potions book. I was hoping the knowledge would sink in and help improve your skills." There was a teasing quality to what he said, and Harry glared mockingly.

"Gee, thanks. I'm sure it helped lots." He said dryly. Draco laughed, and Harry's stomach did a very strange flip. "Why does you father have a problem with me?" He asked quietly. Draco looked up, then back down.

"I don't know," he said quietly. Harry thought there was more to it than that, but he decided not to push.

"So, do you really mean the things you say to me, or do you just make that up so your father doesn't suspect you still want to be friends?"

Draco's lips twitched into a smirk for a moment. "I'm sorry about all the things I've said and done to you this year. I don't know why I did half the things I did."

"Maybe you were just taking out your anger in the only way you knew how." Harry said quietly, Draco shrugged, but looked thoughtful. "And, I forgive you. I—I understand if you really needed to do it."

Draco blinked at him. "Really? You're sure? I would understand, if you hated me."

Harry shook his head. "I don't hate you. Not at all."

Draco smiled, and it changed his whole face. Harry smiled back, feeling a calming peace he rarely experienced. After a minute, Draco's smile faded. "If only it mattered. After I leave, we can't speak of this. I can't be nice to you, Harry. I wanted you to know, but we can't be friendly." Harry swallowed, looking down at their clasped hands. For some reason, this was breaking his heart.

"Oh," he said quietly. He had really known that, but hearing it aloud was hard. If only there was some way they could be friends without Mr. Malfoy finding out.

Harry head the sounds of students at the door, he couldn't see them around the privacy curtain around his bed, but Draco's eyes widened, jumping up as if he was burned. Harry missed the hand under his immediately.

"Oh, no!" Draco whispered, panicked.

Harry looked around, opening the drawer in the nightstand next to him—yes. "Here," he said quickly. "Put it on." He handed Draco the invisibility cloak as footsteps approached. Draco had secured it around him just as the curtains started to move.

"Mr. Potter!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed. "You're awake!"

"It would appear so," Harry said, trying to stay calm. Draco was trapped where he was for now, with how the curtains were positioned with Madam Pomfrey and two students blocking the path out.

"I'm sorry, you'll need to leave," the Matron said to the students, who were staring at Harry, "you may leave the gifts, or come back later."

"Gifts?" Harry asked. Pomfrey gestured to the nightstand Harry hadn't really taken in. It was loaded with candy and cards. He gaped. The students set their own candies on the foot of the bed, then ran away, giggling. "Thank you!" Harry called after them. "They're for me?" Harry clarified, still a bit stunned at the turn of events.

Madam Pomfrey nodded. "Tokens from your admirers," she said dryly. "Wait right here, I need to grab something," she departed quickly, heading towards her office.

Once she was out of sight, Draco started to appear. "Do you need it to sneak out? You can give it back tomorrow." Harry said sadly. "Or whenever I get out of here, I mean."

"Oh," Draco said quietly. "Thank you, I would really appreciate that. I don't want anyone knowing I was here."

"Right." Harry said, and his throat was a bit constricted.

"Thank you, Harry." Draco meant more than the cloak, and Harry returned his heavy smile.

"You're welcome, Draco." Draco drew the cloak around him again, leaving the hood off for now.

"Well, goodbye…Potter." There was so much in his tone, so much said and unsaid in that word.

"Goodbye…Malfoy." Harry returned quietly. Draco looked at him for a long moment before the hood came up and he vanished from sight. Harry waited until he heard the hospital doors close before he laid back down, thinking and heartbroken.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you've enjoyed so far. This particular story is finished, and the sequel (7th year) is written up to August of the summer, containing almost 80,000 words thus far. I also have 'outtakes' as I have dubbed them, with alternate takes on what could have happened or things that haven't made it into the final work. The total length of this story will be around 153,000 words. I will upload one chapter per week until the entire series is uploaded.**

**I would appreciate any sort of reviews, (except for senseless flames). If you have a critique, I would appreciate hearing it, as I only want this story to be as good as possible. Any questions? I like talking about my work, so please feel free to ask it.**


	2. Year 2

All Summer Harry pondered what Draco had said. He knew there must have been a reason for the duality of Draco's and was now kicking himself for not confronting him earlier. Draco had been much more pleasant for the small remainder of term. He still sneered and acted like Harry was something nasty under his shoe, but it never got physical and his insults were more restrained. It was also easier knowing that Draco didn't actually mean what he said.

Harry started to get a vague idea that he wasn't sure would work or be worth it, but no matter how many times he dismissed it, it kept coming back to him. He and Draco had talked and had a decent conversation away from everyone else, and when people had approached, Draco had hid. If they took that concept, would it make sense if they did it again? He knew it would have its risks, but in the end, he decided to let Draco decide if it was worth it for himself. It wouldn't be Harry that was risking anything, so it should be up to Draco. Harry couldn't help wondering if he was even worth it, and the fear had him reconsidering constantly.

The Summer itself had several twists and turns, including a demented House-elf and a wayward Floo trip that resulted in him seeing Draco again. Not that Draco saw him, as he was hiding in a cupboard at the time. He thought about talking to Draco there in Flourish and Blotts, but Lucius Malfoy appeared too quickly, and Harry decided to wait until there was no chance of him showing up.

He hid in a cabinet and listened to their conversation. Draco was complaining about him to his father, and Harry wondered if it was because he felt like he had to, or if he was lying to Harry at the end of last year and didn't want to be friends after all.

"I would remind you that it is not—prudent—to appear less than fond of Harry Potter, not when most of our kind regard him as the hero who made the Dark Lord disappear," Mr. Malfoy told him. At that moment, a stooping man appeared and started talking to Mr. Malfoy.

Harry watched Draco as they talked. He didn't understand. What was the truth with Draco?

He also saw him later that day, in Flourish and Blotts, where they had one of their famous fights.

He figured that he would next see Draco on the Hogwarts Express, but the day arrived with mixed feelings as Harry as he had finally enjoyed the summer but was really excited to get to Hogwarts. The Weasleys all stuffed into the battered Ford Anglia and were at Kings Cross Station with hardly a minute to spare. They rushed across the station towards the platform, with Harry and Ron bringing up the rear. The others vanished behind the bricks, but Harry and Ron instead crashed right into an invisible barrier.

After a brief argument, they were in the air in a semi-invisible car. They crashed for the second time that day into the Whomping Willow. Harry briefly saw Draco's blonde head at the Sorting Ceremony before Snape caught up to them.

It took several months for Harry to get Draco on his own. Every single time Harry saw Draco, he was flanked either by Crabbe and Goyle or at least two other Slytherins. After Harry had met Lucius over the Summer, he knew that he was not someone to be toyed with, and he didn't want the news that Harry and Draco were meeting up to get back to the elder Malfoy.

Of course, once the Chamber of Secrets was opened, Harry had a brand-new problem to contend with. The three friends dove into the new mystery with relish and Harry's Draco problem was put on the back burner.

It wasn't until Christmas break an opportunity arose. The trio had brewed a Polyjuice Potion to question Draco under false pretenses, which Harry privately opposed but didn't dare mention. He went along on the off chance that he could get Draco alone.

At first, it didn't appear to come to fruition, but after they were done taking Hermione to the Hospital Wing, Harry realized, Draco was completely alone in the Slytherin Common Room, Hermione was not around, Crabbe and Goyle would be indisposed for a bit longer, all he had to do is get rid of Ron.

"Hang on, I just realized, I don't remember a question for the homework, I'm going to go ask Hermione before curfew."

Ron visibly shuddered at the thought of doing work over the break, he was going to wait until the last second to do it. "Better you than me, mate."

Harry couldn't believe how easy it was.

He walked down towards the Dungeons trying valiantly to remember where to go. Why did the corridors here have to be so confusing?

Just as he was starting to give up hope, a blonde head turned the corner and paused upon seeing Harry. "What are you doing down here, Potter?" He called down the corridor with false bravado.

Harry smiled, it was braver than he felt. "Looking for you, actually." That stunned Draco into silence.

They walked up to each other and stood about a foot apart, neither knowing where to start. It was awkward, they hadn't been alone since Draco's teary confession.

"I was just looking for Crabbe and Goyle." Draco blurted out.

Harry couldn't help a slight blush. "Yeah, er…" Should he tell Draco the full truth or just part of it? Maybe it wouldn't be so good to test their friendship before it really even began. "Last I saw they were eating…" That was truthful enough.

"Figures." Draco snorted lightly.

"And…" what was he doing? He shouldn't tell Draco about what he, Ron and Hermione had done yet. "I... was looking for you." There that was truthful and the point.

At Draco's questioning look, Harry continued. "I've been thinking, about what you said last year, and well, I think we can still be friends. If that's what you want. We just have to do it in secret."

Draco's head quirked, but he looked intrigued. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, in front of everyone else, we still fight and carry on like how we have, but we break off from our friends and meet up in secret, and that way, your father would have no idea, and if anyone catches us, we can just say we're fighting."

Draco stared at Harry for a long moment, a smile slowly lightening his face. "And you would be alright with that?"

Harry took a slight step closer. "If it means getting to be friends with you, even if nobody else knows it, then yeah."

They smiled at each other, and Harry had never seen a wider smile on Draco's face.

"I was in Knockturn Alley, this summer," Harry confessed. Draco looked startled. "I was in Borgin and Burkes, when you were there. I hid in a cabinet. I heard your father say that it wouldn't look good if you weren't my friend."

He tried to keep the accusation out of his words, but he might not have succeeded. "No, he said that it would be best if I didn't act as if I hated you. I guess that you missed the part where I asked. He said that I was not to make friends with you, but I shouldn't make a point of saying how much I hate you in public. I don't, by the way, hate you. He said that I should continue as I have been for now, but not let my feelings cloud what must be done. I don't know what he means by that," he added at Harry's confused look.

"I don't understand."

"That's ok, it's Slytherin stuff. Things a Gryffindor couldn't possibly understand." This was said teasingly, with a sparkle in his eye. Harry laughed, and Draco joined in.

The moment stretched, and Harry realized they had somehow gotten rather close.

"What are you doing now?" Draco asked.

"Whatever you're doing," Harry said back, and were they leaning towards each other?

"There you are!" Just like that, the moment was shattered into millions of pieces. It was Crabbe who had spoken, he and Goyle had just turned the corner. If they were seconds later, the situation couldn't be salvaged, but Harry saw in Draco's eyes the same plan he had reflected.

Unseen to either invading boy, Draco moved his arms to make it look like they had been shoving. "Oh look, Malfoy, you're saved, backup's here!" Harry said furiously, hoping he hadn't misread Draco's look.

Apparently, Crabbe and Goyle realized Draco was in a volatile situation, for they ran, or how they ran, the last expanse until they came to Draco's side. "Like I need backup to take on you, Potter." His bodyguards must have caught the implied order, as they stood on either side, flexing their muscles and cracking their knuckles menacingly. Harry slowly backed up, knowing that his moment with Draco was over now they had company.

"Still, hardly seems like a fair fight, we'll have to take this up another time." Crabbe and Goyle probably didn't hear the inflection, but Harry knew Draco did by the miniscule nod he gave.

A safe distance away, Harry turned and walked away, hearing Draco demanding where Crabbe and Goyle had been.

The next morning at breakfast, a school owl landed in front of Harry with a sealed letter clutched in its talons. "Who's writing you?" Ron asked after swallowing his mouthful of egg.

"Dunno," Harry said, although he had a pretty good idea. He didn't want to open it under Ron's watchful eye, so he stuffed it in his robe pocket. Ron gave him a strange look. Harry shrugged, unable to do anything else.

Surreptitiously, he vaguely looked around the Hall with an intent to catch Draco's eye. When he did, Draco raised an eyebrow, his eyes going down to where the letter was. Harry raised his eyebrow and indicated his head, asking if it was from him. Draco inclined his head once, a positive nod.

Ron wanted to go visit Hermione after breakfast, and Harry saw an opportunity to read the letter and possibly visit with Draco. At the Entrance Hall, Harry said, "I'll go get her a book and meet you there in a bit."

"What about the book she had yesterday?"

"This is Hermione we're talking about. How much do you want to bet she's already finished it?"

Ron nodded seriously, "Good point. See you, soon."

He arrived at the dormitory before he opened the letter. He was glad he knew it was from Draco because it wasn't signed.

Enjoyed our exchange yesterday, are you available to repeat the experience tonight? Indicate either way with your head at lunch. If so, there's an abandoned classroom near where we became friends. Meet me there.

The two lines that hardly qualified as a letter were written in a messier scrawl that wasn't Draco's normal handwriting. Harry thought it was rather clever, vague enough that anyone who happened to catch sight of it wouldn't know what it meant, but he could clearly decipher the meaning. Maybe sending each other letters like that would help with them not being able to meet up frequently. It was something to consider.

Draco had told him to nod his head at lunch if he was available, but he decided to send a note as well. He scrawled See you then on a spare bit of parchment, grabbed a random book, hid the letter from Draco in his bedside cabinet, and headed up to the owlery.

When he got to the Hospital Wing, Ron and Hermione both started questioning where he had been the second they saw him. Harry dodged their questions with vague answers and quickly changed the subject to Hermione. When he handed her a new book, she exclaimed, "Oh, thank you, Harry, I just finished the other one this morning!"

Ron and Harry traded looks, barely concealing their grins and Harry's whereabouts were all but forgotten. It wouldn't work every time, however, he needed to come up with better excuses.

His first test came after dinner, when he and Draco were supposed to meet. Ron was talking about the meal, as he tended to do after every dinner when Harry decided on what to say.

"Ron, I think I'm going to take a walk, some of that dessert was kinda heavy. Want to come with?" It was a gamble, but if he knew his friend…

"Nah, mate, I'm going to go sit in front of the fire, you go get all the exercise you want. Game of chess when you get back?"

Harry nodded, trying not to look too pleased. He slowly made his way vaguely towards the front doors until Ron was out of sight before making his way towards the Dungeons. He found the classroom he assumed Draco was referring to easily enough and went about finding a nicer place to sit. It looked like it hadn't been used for several years, needed a good dusting, but there was an armchair behind the teacher's desk. He figured Draco would demand that, so he would offer it first.

He really should have been sorted into Slytherin.

He was beginning to wonder if he had gotten the wrong place after all when the door finally opened, letting in Draco. "Sorry," he said, "Greg and Vince were harder to get rid of than I expected." Harry wondered for a moment about whom he was referring before remembering Crabbe and Goyle's first names. They had always seemed more like bodyguards than friends but perhaps he had gotten that wrong.

"I didn't really get the idea that you were friends?" Harry asked carefully, indicating the armchair he had done his best to de-dust.

Draco sat with all the grace and regality of a prince and Harry pulled up a student's chair across from him. "What is that supposed to mean," Draco demanded, frown on his face already. "Are you trying to imply I don't have any friends?"

"No!" Harry exclaimed quickly, "I just didn't think you were that close to them, that's all."

"Well you can let go of that notion," Draco said as if he didn't hear Harry. "I have lots of friends, and unlike you, I have friends in other Houses, and other schools. From all over the world, just because I have to deal with their stupidity doesn't mean that's all I have to contend with."

"Alright, alright," Harry interjected as soon as he could, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it."

Draco's glare slowly faded, and Harry made a mental note not to touch that nerve again. Would they ever be able to have a conversation without one of them upsetting the other?

Eager to change the subject, Harry said, "So, did you ever find out why your Dad does not want us to be friends?"

After he said that he worried he had touched a nerve again when Draco drew himself up, but all he said was, "Father." At Harry's confused look he added, "He's my Father, not Dad. And…" He gave Harry a contemplative look, "How much do you know about the War?"

It was Harry's turn to frown, "Not much. I know about Voldemort," Draco flinched. "And that my parents fought him, and that he killed a lot of people, but that's about it."

Draco nodded slowly, looking like he was deeply contemplating something. "Potter-"

"Harry," Harry interrupted.

Draco smirked but carried on, "Harry, it wasn't just the Dark Lord versus the rest of the world. He had followers that truly believed in his message of blood purity. These followers were called Death Eaters, and they were very loyal to him…" Draco was struggling, for the first time Harry had known him, to put something into words, but Harry had a good idea what his point was.

"Your Father was a Death Eater." It was a statement, not a question, and a cold front seemed to engulf the room. Harry was surprised he couldn't see his breath in front of him.

"That's never been proven!" Draco said quickly and heatedly. "After the Dark Lord fell, the Death Eaters were rounded up, at least most of them, but they caught a lot of innocent people that were just enchanted to follow Him."

"Your Father was one of the innocent ones?" This time he asked, trying to keep the skepticism out of his voice.

At this, Draco sagged in on himself. He looked at the wall on his right and Harry wondered if he would even answer. As he was trying to think of something else to say, Draco whispered, "I don't know." He turned back to look Harry in the eye. "That's what he's always told me, and he was cleared by the Wizagomont, but the way he talks about Him, 'the Good Old Days'...I wonder, but I don't know for sure and that's the truth! I just know he doesn't want me associating with you. It might just be because you're a half-blood."

Harry wasn't sure where to start his questions. "I thought most wizards were half-blood or less? Doesn't that not make sense if there aren't a lot of Purebloods left?"

"If you ask my Father, that is all we should be dealing with. Anyone with blood less than pure isn't worth talking to."

"But you don't think that?"

"No. I still think that there are benefits to keeping the different levels of blood status separate when it comes to schooling and such, but that doesn't mean that everyone who hasn't non-magical ancestry deserves to be killed...like He believed." Harry wasn't sure that was all that much better, but perhaps they could work on that.

"You called Hermione a Mudblood earlier this year," he commented with a touch of anger in his voice.

Draco looked contrite for the first time. "I knew she wouldn't really know what it means, but did you hear what she said to me? I got angry. I had to do something, and it just slipped out."

"That's not an apology."

"You want an apology? Fine. I'm sorry, Harry that I insulted your friend after she insulted me. I can't apologize to her though, you don't understand what my Father will do to me if I'm seen being less than a perfect son, and that includes consorting with Weasleys, mu-ggleborns, and you."

They sat in silence. "How bad is it?" Harry finally asked. "What will he do to you if he finds out...about us?

Draco sighed and sat up in his chair. "Honestly, I don't know the full extent. I think it's best if I don't find out."

"But-"

"Harry. I knew what I was doing when I accepted your friendship. I'm willing to take the risk, but we do need to be careful."

"Alright. I promise I will be." Draco nodded, and they sat in silence again. "What's the Wizengamot?"

Draco snorted. "See? That's exactly why we need to have separation. Not knowing what the Wizagomont is. It's our governing entity, they make laws and uphold them. They are the centralization of our government, perhaps the most important component. How can you not know about the Wizagamont?"

Harry exhaled loudly through his nose, "I grew up in the muggle world. How should I know what anything is unless someone tells me?"

"But your parents should have-oh." Draco went paler. "What do you mean you grew up in the muggle world? Didn't your family know you're a wizard?"

"They did," Harry sighed. "My Aunt and Uncle, my mother's sister and her husband, raised me. And they knew I was a wizard, but they purposefully didn't tell me. Wanted to stamp it all out." The last part was said under his breath, but he knew Draco heard him.

Draco bit his lip. "I guess that explains that ugly sweater you had, I wondered. See that just proves my point. Muggles don't understand our world and, how could they? They can't explain it to their magical children and then we have all these ignorant people with wands and magic, power to kill, maim, make bad choices, even do seemingly harmless things that are actually bad, because they were never taught differently. Whoever put you with Muggles really dropped the quaffle."

"But here we are, talking, and we're both learning." Draco appeared thoughtful. "I agree with you on the last point. I mean, I shouldn't have gone to the Dursleys, I'd have been happier anywhere else, a Muggle orphanage would've been better. But there are good Muggles, and isn't more important that they raised their children to be kind, and have good manners, and be compassionate to others? That's a better benefit to society, and if they learn to be good, then they won't go out and start killing people in the streets once they're out of Hogwarts. And isn't that what Hogwarts is for anyway? If you exclude the Muggleborns and Half-Bloods from learning about Magic and how to control it, then you're definitely going to get a bunch of sociopaths going out and killing people, accidently or otherwise. Do you know how many times I've used magic without realizing it? What if that had gone on and I couldn't control it? How many people could I have hurt by not coming to Hogwarts? That's why it's wrong to exclude anyone from their birth-given right to learn magic if they have it." By the end of his impassioned speech, Harry was red in the face, breathing heavily and standing.

Draco was staring at him, mouth open slightly, and Harry was suddenly embarrassed. Draco had managed to explain his viewpoint without raising his voice or insulting his entire way of life. Sort of. If they couldn't get past this, perhaps there wouldn't be much point to their friendship after all.

Harry sat back down slowly, trying to control his breathing. He clasped his hands together and stared at them held together in his lap.

As if he knew what Harry was thinking, Draco said, "You've...given me a lot to think about...Harry." And he smiled. And Harry realized why he would keep coming back, keep hoping to bring Draco around, keep trying to make it work between them. Draco was absolutely beautiful, and if he was that beautiful on the outside, what was on the inside would have to be even better. They just needed time, to talk together, and have a little understanding and someday they might make an incredible team together.

Draco had beliefs that Harry just couldn't contend with, and vice versa, but he was worth waiting until they could work out their differences. Harry knew it.

After that, Draco asked if there was anything about the wizarding world he hadn't heard about or didn't understand. It was an opportunity Harry had been waiting over a year for. At first, he started with simple things related to school and a couple years after, like if there were wizarding universities, and they slowly built up to trading various insights about their different world.

Harry was hungry to hear about anything to do with magic, but after their disagreement, Draco seemed fascinated to hear about the Muggle world. He was enchanted by the idea of electricity and found that Muggles had made so many replacements for magic endearing rather than idiotic.

"So, wait," Draco said, "I thought E-lect-tricity was what they used for energy, why is pet-ro used for cars?"

That question stumped Harry. "Er, I'm not entirely sure. Maybe when cars were first being made they had just discovered petrol and wanted to use it? Or maybe the technology wasn't advanced enough at the time to use electricity in cars. Someone should work on it."

"Hmmm." Draco agreed, seemingly contemplating that. Harry wondered what wizards used for energy and was just about to ask the question when the answer hit him like a bludger to the face. Magic.

He hit himself in the forehead and Draco laughed at him, but didn't ask what brought that on.

Blushing and hoping to distract him from asking why he did that, Harry quickly interjected, "So I have a confession to make." At Draco's raised eyebrows, he continued hesitantly, "You know all this stuff with the Chamber of Secrets, and Slytherin's Heir and all that? Yeah, well, Ron and Hermione got it into their heads that you are the Heir…" Draco seemed to preen at this, and Harry winced at the thought of what he would do when he confessed the rest of it. "And well, er, we sort of brewed a Polyjuice Potion and snuck into the Slytherin Common Room to try and get you to confess. I'm sorry, I didn't know how to dissuade them without telling them the truth and I knew I couldn't do that. And it was before we became friends." He said all that very quickly, hoping to get it over with.

Draco drew himself up to full height in his seated position, becoming more enraged the longer Harry talked. Harry ducked his head, wincing, cringing away out of habit and tensing for the explosion.

It never happened. At least not the anger. Instead, he exploded in laughter. Harry looked up with trepidation. Draco was leaning over, holding his stomach he was laughing so hard.

"You-you, ha ha ha!" Draco struggled to breath, "you were Vince and Greg, weren't you? That's why they were acting so strange. They were you! Oh, this is too good!"

Harry couldn't help but let a smile begin on his lips at Draco's enjoyment. Whatever humiliation came from this was worth it.

"So, you two came into the Common Room with all the grace of a fire salamander in a candle shop, thought I'd just blurt out I'm the Heir, and ran out- oh because you started to change back. Let me guess, you didn't know where the common room was, so you just wandered the dungeons. Oh, this is rich."

Harry blushed harder but let him have this one, after all, he kind of owed him. His decency was tried hard as it took Draco a long time to get over the hilarity of the situation.

"...And his hair started turning red!" Draco concluded half an hour later, or at least it seemed like. Harry groaned from his seat that he was leaning across.

"Yeah, yeah, it's hilarious. Are you quite done yet?" That just sent Draco into further peals of laughter.

Eventually they settled down and the mood became more somber. They discussed rules for their friendship and came up with several that they were both comfortable with.

If you can't show up due to other people, there will be no hard feelings. All fights that happen are so no one catches on. There will be no true fighting when alone together. Personal comments about parents are off limits in fights. Fights will not get physical beyond tripping; no one will get seriously injured. We have to continue calling each other names. We must call each other's friends names, even if we both don't like it.

They talked late into the night. So late, that it was well past curfew by the time either of them bothered to check the time. Draco swore when he saw it. "...We're going to get caught, oh this was your plan all along, wasn't it, Potter? Well you're gonna get caught too. Didn't think of that, you-"

"Woah, woah, Draco, calm down. You're forgetting, I've got a jail out of free card." He pulled his invisibility cloak out of his bag, waiting for Draco to guess.

"That's right! I had forgotten about this lovely little thing." Harry laughed and draped it over himself, only his head showing.

"I figured this would be a good way for us to sneak around." Harry said. "May I escort you to your common room, my liege?" He accompanied this with a small bow.

Draco laughed and bowed back, it was wonderful to see him so playful. All that laughing must have been good for him. "You may, my good sir." Harry held out his arm and up his cloak, and Draco ducked under both.

"Now remember, we're invisible, but we're still solid and people can still hear us, so we need to be quiet." Draco was slightly giddy so it bared stating.

"I know, I know, now be quiet. I'm enjoying being invisible." Harry snorted and the two of the dissolved into giggles that reoccurs every couple minutes, hastily followed by the sounds of them shushing each other.

They finally reached the Common Room and a slightly awkward silence stretched between them as they stood to face each other. They smiled softly at each other and Draco said, "Harry, thanks for suggesting this, and letting the past be the past. I had a great time tonight. I'll send you a letter later. When can you meet up again?"

"I dunno," Harry vaguely muttered back, "Once Hermione's out of the Hospital wing it'll be a lot harder for us to meet up, she is the brains of the operation, you know."

"You don't say! I never would have guessed." Harry was beginning to appreciate Draco's sarcasm, it had its uses.

"How about tomorrow, same time, same place? If you can't show, you can't show." Draco grinned in response. He looked up through his lashes at Harry, swaying slightly side to side.

"That sounds nice. I can't wait." They were close, so close, too close. Draco's arms wrapped around him hesitantly, as if he were as unsure how to do this as Harry. That couldn't be right, could it? Draco's arms were warm, and he felt so happy being encased. If all hugs were like this, they were absolutely lovely.

Draco turned his head towards Harry as he started pulling away. His lips connected with Harry's cheek in a sweet, wonderful kiss. It was over quickly, and Draco was practically running from the corridor, but Harry found it too incredible to regret. Someone had kissed him, someone wanted to show him real affection, that was one of the best things that had ever happened to him.

He had a hard time not skipping and whistling on the way back to the Common Room.

Harry got some serious flack for being out past curfew by Ron, who spent almost all of the morning until the post came berating him. Harry didn't think it was a particularly big deal, as he repeatedly told Ron.

When the post came, another school owl bore a letter from Draco, not that Harry told Ron that. Instead, he said, none of your business when asked who it was from. Ron's temper exploded at that and he stomped off, the first time in history he had abandoned a meal, but Harry himself was too upset to care very much.

Draco met his eye when he looked and for a second a concerned look crossed his face. Are you ok? It seemed to ask. Harry did one nod, yes, he answered and decided to go see Hermione.

Unfortunately, Ron had gotten there first and had been filling her in on Harry's shortcomings of the last twelve plus hours. Hermione was, in a word, concerned.

"I just don't understand why you're not telling us where you were," Hermione said rather shrilly, the tears in her eyes was a deciding factor for Harry.

He was still upset with them for not letting him be alone, but Hermione crying was something he couldn't deal with. "I was with someone. Alright?"

"Someone?" Hermione leapt on. "Who, Harry?"

Harry sighed. There was no dissuading her. "My new pen pal." He pulled out the letter from his pocket.

That shocked them and there was silent for just a moment. "You still haven't said who this pen pal is and why you're suddenly writing to them." Hermione said, almost reasonably.

"I don't see why I have to tell you."

"We're you're best friends!" Ron burst out, "if you're not going to tell us who are you going to tell?"

"No one." They both still looked confused and hurt so Harry let out a long-suffering sigh and continued, "Look, isn't it ok that I just have one thing to myself? We don't have to tell each other everything, and we can still be friends, best friends, but I shouldn't have to explain everything I do to either of you. Just let me have this one thing, ok?" Ron and Hermione exchanged looks. Harry hated it when they did that but at least this time the end result was positive.

"I guess you're right, Harry."

"Yes, we're sorry Harry. I hope you'll be able to tell us some day, but I suppose it's alright if we don't know."

"Great. Do you know when they're releasing you, Hermione?"

Harry ended up not meeting Draco that night, but he managed to get the message across to Draco in the Hall at dinner.

The rest of the break passed without either of them seeing the other beyond tough words in the corridors. Hermione and Ron stuck to him like glue, making sure Harry never had an opportunity to sneak off. It was unintentional, Harry thought sardonically.

The letter Draco had written him became his only solace, until at least the next letter. He read it every night and slept with it under his pillow. It was safe because Draco had found a spell that made it appear to read something else to anyone else who tried to read it.

_Harry,_

_I'm so sorry about my past transgressions, again. Sometimes, when I'm lying in bed trying to sleep, I think about things that I've done, to you or otherwise, and I cringe. The...slug...incident shall we call it is particularly hard for me. I'm sorry I called one of your best friends a ...well you know. And I want you to have it in writing that I am._

_I've been thinking a lot about what we talked about, about the separation of blood status. I can see your point, but at the same time, I've been raised to think a certain way, and this is one of the things that has been pounded into me since before I could talk. I hope that you can accept for now, that I'm thinking. I think you'll be ok with that. I don't entirely know that things are as perfectly clear cut as I believed before we talked. I think I want to hear more about what you think about this. I wish I could talk to other people about this, but I can't be seen questioning things, yet. There may come a time when I'll think differently, and I hope you can be patient until that time._

_Next time you and I have a meeting we need to go over everything that happened last year. We didn't really get to it in the hospital wing. I've heard some insane rumors, and I know for a fact that you had a Dragon at one point. Was it Hagrid's, or was he just holding it for you? I wouldn't put it past you. Famous Harry Potter, always getting away with everything and getting accommodations for it to boot. There were some really wild rumors about whatever happened at the end of the year too. I have a feeling whatever you did was somehow worse than even the most ridiculous implied._

_Well, I'm going to get to bed. I'd wish you a good night but by the time you'll get this it'll be tomorrow morning at breakfast. So, have a good day Potter. Can't wait till I see you._

_Draco_

_P.S. Who am I kidding, good night, too._

Harry wasn't entirely sure what he meant in the PS, either that Harry wouldn't have a chance to read it until night or did he know that Harry would reread it every night before bed? He hoped it was the former.

Harry didn't manage to break away from Ron and Hermione for the rest of the break, and before he knew it, school itself was keeping them apart. The teachers seemed to be trying their best to make up for the weeks without any homework.

Harry and Draco themselves made up for it by sending each other letters, sometimes daily, sometimes several times a day, rarely with days in between. They started thinking that someone would notice the school owls constantly going between the two, so they came up with a way for them to hand each other notes in the corridors by pretending to bump into each other. They would have to follow this up with traded insults, but they quickly found that that could be fun in itself, now that they knew it wasn't meant.

Most people still avoided Harry, and the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets continued. Harry began staring into the faces of the people who tormented, ignored, or avoided, wondering if it was one of them. It was because of this that he realized how small his circle of friends was.

So, he started talking to students in other houses and grades. He figured it would be a good cover for finding time away from Ron and Hermione anyway. He started out asking a third year Ravenclaw when he would be done with a book he was reading, and he ended up giving Harry some good advice for his Transfiguration homework. McGonagall made a point of saying that she liked what he said in his essay and was glad he was paying more attention to his school work.

That brought on another realization. He ended up writing an entire letter to Draco about it.

_D-_

_I realized something the other day when McG said something about my essay, and I want to talk about it to someone. Honestly, this is sort of personal, so make sure that spell holds on this one in particular, alright?_

_So, I've told you a little about the Dursleys. Hopefully it won't shock you to hear that they don't like me doing well in school. When Dudley and I were first starting school, we did about the same, but once Dudley realized there was work involved, he gave up and I started doing better. At first, it was alright, but then I started doing much better, and the Dursleys didn't like that their "precious Diddy-dinkuns" - yes that's a real thing they called him- was doing better than that "nasty boy" - what they referred to me as._

_So, they started punishing me whenever I got better scores than Dudley. For a while I just cut back a bit on how well I was doing, but Dudley got worse too because enough time had gone by that he was seriously falling behind. Then they wanted to hold him back a year and I got a beating-Harry scratched the last word off until it was completely illegible- punishment worse than any of the others, for that. So, I decided to start doing Dudley's homework for him and letting him cheat off me in the tests. He got better, and I had no time to do both of ours, so I got worse._

_After all that, trying hard for someone else, not seeing the results, I guess I forgot how to try for myself. I was so burnt out when I got to Hogwarts, but this place is really incredible. I know you're probably rolling your eyes at me, but we're studying magic! "Yeah, Potter that's the point," you're probably saying. But I wasted a whole year and a half not learning everything I possibly could. So, I think I'm going to start trying again._

_H._

It was almost like a diary entry it was so personal. He hadn't set out writing the letter knowing all that would come out, and he considered simply burning the parchment. He ended up sending it anyway. Draco immediately responded that he was glad Harry was going to try harder, and offered to help in whatever capacity he could. He told Harry in his gentle but not condescending way that what the Dursleys had said was wrong, and Harry had as much right to an education as anyone.

At first it was hard to break the habit of not trying in school. He started to think of it as Ron versus Hermione in the parts of his brain when he argued with himself, and Hermione usually won. Ron and Hermione themselves couldn't have taken the change more predictably or contrarily. Hermione ecstatic, and Ron horrified.

Harry realized pretty quickly that Hermione's over the top studying and obsessive revision was exhausting and started to retreat back to his old ways.

Then she was petrified.

Harry felt overwhelming guilt and began studying again, but this time he was on his own. He felt even more overwhelming guilt that at least he had more time to be with Draco.

The rest of the year passed, as years tend to do. As years at Hogwarts were beginning to go, there was an adventure with death-defying stunts and peril. Ginny Weasley turned out to be the one releasing Slytherin's monster, a Basilisk, on the students but she was possessed by a sixteen-year-old Voldemort, who was apparently named Tom Riddle.

There was just one part of the story that Harry was dreading having to tell Draco. All of this had been started by his Father the previous Summer, and to make it worse, he had freed the Malfoy's family elf, Dobby.

On their last meeting before the end of school, Harry told Draco the full story, starting with hearing the voices and ending with Ginny waking up in the Chamber.

"I can't believe I missed all of this!" Draco exclaimed, right after Harry was done with his tale. "It all seems so obvious now." The room they had been meeting in had changed a lot since they had first inhabited it. There was another chair, although mismatched, across from Draco's, the student desks had been stacked as a wall giving them privacy and time to hide should they hear someone coming, and the dust had been removed from the room by a cleaning charm Harry had found in his studies.

"Yeah, Draco, there's one more thing, and I think you should hear it from me…" Draco nodded and sat up in his chair.

"Draco...it was your Father that gave the diary to Ginny in the first place. Remember that fight he and Mr. Weasley had at Flourish and Blotts? He used that to slip the diary into her cauldron. This whole thing was his fault."

Draco sat in stunned silence and the longer he sat there, the more uncomfortable Harry felt.

"There's more." Draco's eyes widened. "The house elf that had been stalking me all year was your elf, Dobby. And I freed him, Draco."

He almost said he was sorry, but he really wasn't. He would be if it made him upset though. It did.

"What?"

"I tricked your father into freeing him. I put the diary in one of my socks, your father threw it off, and Dobby caught it. He's free, now."

"What? That- I can't- no, Potter that-" He jumped up and started pacing. "I can't believe that you did that! That's like spitting in my face. How could you?"

Harry slowly got to his feet. "I don't know how you treated him Draco, but your Father was kicking him. And he told me all about how his family treated him before I knew he was yours. It sounded bad."

"That doesn't matter!" Draco almost yelled, "it's none of your business what goes on in my home, Potter. And we would have let him go if we knew he was spilling family secrets, but you tricked my Father into it, didn't you? That's a dishonor against me, personally, and I bet you don't even know that, because you're clueless about Pureblood Tradition. You know what, this isn't working, Potter, just stay away from me." And with that, he stormed out of the room.

Harry was stunned. He knew Draco would be upset, but not that angry. Angry enough to end their friendship?

Now Harry was angry.

He didn't get a chance to see Draco privately and the note he sent was returned in shreds. He did visit him, Ron and Hermione on the Hogwarts Express, but it was not a friendly visit. In fact, he was much more vicious than usual, and it came just short of getting physical when Ron's brother Percy showed up to check on Ginny, who was in their compartment.

"Oh well," Harry thought a bit bitterly as he watched Draco's blonde head disappear out the compartment. He was still angry but wanted to work things out. "Better luck next year."


	3. Year 3

**Chapter 3-Third Year**

The Summer before his third year was exciting, for once. His not-blood-related Aunt came to visit and in a fit of rage blew her up like a balloon. Still furious, Harry left for the Leaky Cauldron, and managed to call the Night Bus after a dog spooked him. He made it, only to be caught by none other than the Prime Minister for Magic. He was rather nice, however, and let Harry off with two warnings. One, an official one for blowing up his Aunt, and two, not to leave Diagon Alley. Harry had no need to venture out into Muggle London, so he was just fine with that. What he was not fine with was Draco's silence over the summer.

He had sent at least one letter a week since school had been released and they had all been returned unopened with a small piece of parchment with a sticking charm to it that said something along the line of "Shove off, Potter" or "Leave me alone, Scar Head." On his birthday, however, he had received a book on pureblood traditions, along with the card that said "so you don't royally fuck up again. I still don't forgive you, but happy birthday, I guess." Harry had smiled, sure now that Draco would forgive him.

The morning after he had arrived at the Leaky Cauldron that changed, however. Tapping on the windowsill and awakening him, flapped Leonardo, Draco's Eagle Owl. So eagerly he tripped over the bedsheets, Harry ran to the window. Other than the two-liner note he had once sent, this was one of Draco's shortest letter ever. The 3-6-word letters didn't count.

Potter-

_I just heard the strangest thing from my father. Don't take this as me forgiving you for your blunderous bungle, but as cross as I am with you, I don't want you dead. I know that you're staying at the Leaky Cauldron and the Minister told you not to leave Diagon. I also know how you love to flaunt authority, so I'm sure you'll disregard this missive. I implore you not to because your life is in danger. Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban. According to the latest rumors, he is after you. So, orders from a peer that happens to be much more intelligent than you are, DO NOT LEAVE DIAGON ALLEY! I might see you soon, if you're lucky._

_Be Safe,_

_D._

There was a lot of information there. He already knew all the explicitly stated, but the news that Sirius Black was after him, specifically, was new. Underneath all the thinly veiled insults, Draco was being pretty obvious that he still cared about Harry. That was way more important than someone else being after him. He was used to having his life be in danger at this point.

He spent the rest of the day and days following getting acquainted with the magical street until he had it memorized. He would spend afternoons getting free ice cream and advice about his homework from Florean Fortescue. It was as he was walking out of the Leaky into the street one morning that he felt a pull on his arm and suddenly he was in a hidden crevice in the wall. He would have screamed if there wasn't a hand over his mouth.

He struggled for a couple moments before a voice in his ear whispered furiously, "It's me, Stupid. Shut up!" He stopped struggling and Draco released him moments later.

"What was that?" Harry whispered just as furiously.

"Well I didn't want anyone to see us together."

"You're the one who told me there was someone after me, think of that before you pounced on me?"

"Oh, right." Draco looked sheepish. "Well it was fun anyway."

Harry snorted quietly and rolled his eyes. If Draco was going to be forgiving, then Harry could be too.

"Well, if you don't want to be seen, want to come up to my room? I was just going to get breakfast but—"

Draco held up a small paper bag, smiling slightly. Harry grinned back and pulled out the invisibility cloak from his inner pocket. Thanks to Draco's warning, he had been carrying it around with him in case he needed to escape the clutches of any madmen.

They made their way back up to Harry's room with Draco under the cloak and settled on the bed. Draco had bought croissants and pastries and they were delicious. Harry moaned slightly as he bit into a Viennoiserie as Draco pronounced in flawless French. Harry tried and botched it so badly Draco laughed.

"Why are you so good at that, and where did you get these anyway?" Harry asked after swallowing a mouthful.

Draco daintily dabbed at his mouth with a napkin he had produced before answering in a beautiful and elegant language. "My family is mainly from France. Mother and Father thought it important to immerse me in our cultural heritage, hence the language and the pastries." Draco amended at Harry's confusion.

As glad as he was to hear the answer, he couldn't help but find the words coming out of Draco's mouth to be rather…alluring. He shifted uncomfortably and tried to focus on what Draco was saying.

"…in the South of France. Are you going to have that eclair? They're my favorite. Chocolate, you know."

Harry filed that information away for later and handed it over. "You never said why you were here."

Draco sighed. "I still haven't completely forgiven you, you know. But I missed you, and I figured that what you did was a faux pau, you couldn't have known how completely offensive…what you did was. So, apologize, and I'll try to move on."

Harry stared. He really wasn't sorry, but maybe this was something that you had to grow up in the wizarding world to really understand. This was just going to have to be something that he had to give for the greater good.

He too sighed and said, "Draco, I'm really sorry that I freed your elf. I didn't realize it would be an insult to you and your family and I wouldn't have done it if I knew."

Draco narrowed his eyes, "No you would, wouldn't you?"

Harry bit his lip, "Look Draco, I really am sorry that I insulted you, but you're right. It was wrong how he was being treated. He's a living thing with feelings and thoughts, and he doesn't deserve to be treated with, well, abuse." Draco startled at that word and looked away quickly. "Draco are you ok?" Harry asked after a minute.

Draco jumped but didn't look back at Harry. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Harry didn't believe him, but let it go. "You never told me why you're at Diagon."

Draco's lip twitched upwards and he finally replied, "I told you I missed you. So, I told Mother I wanted to do my shopping alone this year. She was hesitant with Black on the loose and all, but I managed to convince her."

Harry nodded and dug in the bag to find another pastry.

They spent the time until lunch talking and laughing together. Draco reviewed Harry's homework for him and made several corrections. When they started to feel the beginnings of hunger, Harry convinced Draco that there weren't any students in the Alley and they went to find lunch, then do Draco's shopping.

Harry led Draco to a small corner café that specialized in soup and sandwiches. Harry insisted on paying since Draco brought breakfast, but Draco held his protest firmly for the entirety meal. He seemed a little flushed when Harry put down the money but was said he was fine when asked.

After they finished shopping, they wandered up and down the street several times, postponing when Draco would have to leave. When the sun began to set, the street thinned out and several shops began to close, they could hold off no more.

"I'll see you at Hogwarts," Draco murmured at the fireplace.

"Yeah," Harry murmured back, "I'll see you then." _Do it,_ He said to himself, _just do it. He did it to you, you can do it to him. _

'What if he changed his mind?' Another more cynical part of his mind pointed out. 'What if he doesn't want you kissing him? What if it ruins your friendship?'

_He touched my hand earlier, that might mean he wants me to…_

While he was mentally debating with himself, Draco had waved, called out "Malfoy Manor" and was swept away in a wave of green. Harry was left kicking himself. _I'll do it next time I see him,_ he assured himself, _no matter what, I'll do it next time_.

Harry was very happy with Draco's timing the next day when Ron and Hermione showed up. They too spent the day wandering around, talking and shopping. Hermione purchased a rather ugly cat that seemed to have a personal vendetta against Scabbers.

The journey to the Hogwarts express was much more low-key than the previous year. The ministry sent two cars with drivers and the trip was unhurried. However, once they got to the station, Mr. Weasley pulled Harry aside.

"Harry," he said quickly, as the train whistle blew, "I need to tell you…about Sirius Black."

It took half the train ride for Harry to get up the nerve to tell Ron and Hermione about Sirius Black. They reacted exactly how Harry had suspected. He began to regret telling them after Hermione started going through all the jinxes and hexes she knew that might come in handy against Black and Ron started making nervous jokes. As much as Harry loved them, he had a feeling that they would be even more unbearable from now on as far as leaving him alone.

Harry was in the middle of wondering how many times he would be able to see Draco this year when the train came to a sudden, lurching stop.

"I…I think people are coming aboard." Ron whispered from his position at the window. There were noises and lurches from the train, and Ginny and Neville came to join them, Ginny falling into Harry's lap.

Harry had completely forgotten about the shabby man sleeping in the corner, Professor R. J. Lupin by the name on his trunk, until he stood up and told them all to be quiet. He said he was going to have a word with the driver but before he could, a figure entered the compartment. In the gloom, Harry was just able to make out what looked like a floating skeleton with a ratty black sheet draped over it.

He barely had time to notice any detail before a chill engulfed the cabin, a woman started screaming, and he felt the breath leave his lungs. Before he could try to make any sense of what was happening, his vision started to fade to black and he was passing out.

Of course, Draco had to make fun of him. Harry could see the worry in his eyes as he was making fainting motions, so he nodded once as their code for yes. Draco nodded back to show he understood that Harry was ok and continued pretending to faint.

The feigned fainting lasted every time Harry saw Draco until Care of Magical Creatures. Then something even more worrisome happened.

Harry had just gotten through riding on Buckbeak, the flying hippogriff when the rest of the class became relaxed enough to face their own hippogriffs. Draco happened to get Buckbeak, and Harry was watching from a nearby tree. Draco was being his usual pompous self and bragging about how easy he found handling hippogriffs. Harry started to get a bad feeling and inched closer.

"…You're not dangerous at all, are you, you great ugly brute?" Draco said, and several things happened at once. At the same time the hippogriff reared back, Harry sprang forward. Buckbeak thrashed his sharp talons at Draco, slicing his arm once and knocking him backwards as Harry finally reached him.

Having nothing else to do, Harry bodily threw himself down on top of a screaming Malfoy.

Less than a minute later, Hagrid was pulling Buckbeak away, but not before Harry was slashed. Draco was screaming wordlessly, trying to get a handle on himself. Harry was trying to get off Draco, but he had never been in more pain. Shots of pain were going all up his back, radiating outwards to the rest of his body.

"Harry." Draco whispered in his ear. It was the last thing he heard before he passed out.

He swam back to consciousness slowly, and a dull throbbing in his back made him moan. "He's awake!" Came Ron's voice from somewhere to his left. He realized he was on his stomach when he opened his eyes and felt the crick in his neck.

Someone shoved his glasses on his face and the world came into view. He tried turning to see who was on the bedside, but his back protested angrily. "Argh," he gasped.

"Don't move, Mr. Potter," came the gruff voice of Madam Pomfrey to his right. "You had severe lacerations on your back. I healed most of them, but the muscle tears and damage to your spine will take several days to heal completely. It's important that you not move so I'll give you a couple minutes with your friends then place you in a magical sleep. Five minutes." She added to, presumably,  
Ron and Hermione before bustling off muttering about dangerous creatures.

Hermione moved so Harry could see her out of the corner of his eye in addition to the bedside cabinet. "How are you feeling, Harry?" She uttered softly.

"Like I got trampled by a Hippogriff," Harry said sardonically.

Ron snorted somewhere close by and Harry smiled. The pain was starting to fade a little once he had stopped moving.

"Why did you do that, Harry?" Hermione demanded suddenly. "You could have been seriously hurt."

"Er, Hermione he kind of was." Ron put in, helpfully.

"Exactly! You were hurt badly, and for what?"

"Yeah, Malfoy hardly deserved for you to jump on top of him. Bet that was fun."

"Do you understand how lucky you are?"

"I'd hardly call him lucky, Hermione. He—"

"You could have never walked again, Harry! That's how badly you could've been hurt. You really must be more careful—"

"That's enough!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed. "If you are going to berate him, you can leave."

Madam Pomfrey was nothing if not efficient, Harry thought dully as his vision started to swim a couple minutes later. He mumbled out if Draco was ok but was asleep again before he got a response.

"Potter." Whispered a voice in his ear. "Can you wake up for me?"

Harry didn't want to, but the voice belonged to Draco, and Harry liked Draco. Draco was nice.

He rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes, yawned, and reached for his glasses. After briefly bumping into Draco, he swam into view, gloomy in the darkness, but he could still see his silvery eyes shining.

Harry smiled, and Draco smiled tensely back. "How are you feeling?" Draco whispered. He was leaning over the bedside cabinet and it looked pretty awkward.

"I'm fine, here, lie down." He scooted over until there was barely enough room for Draco, but he was at the edge of his side, so it was all he could do. Draco looked like he was about to argue, but his smile softened, and he did indeed lie down next to Harry.

They repositioned slightly until they were lying face to face, inches apart on Harry's pillow. They laid in silence for a while and then Draco was whispering, "why did you do it?"

"Do what?" At Draco's blank stare Harry caught on. "Oh, that, right, well. I couldn't just let you get hurt like that. If I can do something and it's the right thing to do, I do it."

Draco sighed. "You're such a Griffindork."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Draco snorted.

"It is a bad thing. If only you had been sorted into Slytherin, we would have stamped that out of you." Harry lost his smile at that and looked away. "What?"

Harry shook his head and just said, "Had a crick in my neck. How are you feeling?" He didn't want to talk about how the Dursleys had tried to stamp magic out of him. At least, not yet.

Draco struggled for a minute, like he wanted to argue again, but he resisted. "I think I'm fine. Pomfrey fixed me up in a snap, but I don't want to leave you, so I'm going to play up the pain."

Harry snorted. "You don't have to do that. I'll be fine."

"Sure, you will be, but in the meantime, you need to have someone to take care of you."

"I thought that was Pomphrey's job." Harry smiled again.

"Details, details." Draco awkwardly waved his arm. "I owe you anyway. And just think, I get to miss class and we get to hang out without our classmates buzzing their noses where they don't belong."

It was nice to have someone taking care of him, so Harry didn't complain. "I'm sure Hermione will have me caught up in no time."

"Ugh, let's not talk about Granger. How about classes? What are you taking?"

Their conversation in low tones took them well into the night, and it was only when they started hearing noises coming from Pomphrey's office that Draco went to his own bed and Harry went back to the middle of his bed. The next few days would have been absolutely unbearable if it wasn't for Draco. Ron and Hermione visited after dinner every day, but they couldn't get away other than that. Draco gradually became less intimidated by Madam Pomphrey's presence and came to hang out with Harry during the day.

Pomfrey was shocked at first, so shocked in fact, that she dropped several bottles of potions she was holding the first time she saw them talking amicably in Harry's bed. They begged her not to say anything, that it wasn't a big deal anyway, and Madam Pomfrey eventually muttered something about patient confidentiality and walked away. After that, she seemed to run interference. One time, Ron and Hermione tried to come in at lunch and she spoke much louder than necessary that Harry was eating. It was true, she had just served Draco and Harry lunch trays at Harry's bed and her warning gave Draco time to sneak back to his bed at the end of the ward.

Harry was able to sit up after the second day and he enjoyed being able to see the world from that angle again. Before he knew it, he and Draco were both healed, and they were heading back to class. Just before they exited the hospital wing, Harry reached out a hand to stop him. Draco turned to face him, and Harry gulped, taking a moment to steal himself. Draco was gorgeous. "Thank you, Draco. For staying with me."

Draco smiled, and took a step closer to him. "It was the least I could do after you saved me, Potter. Don't be stupid." Harry looked into his eyes, which were shining. They both made awkward movements towards each other with their arms, but they eventually managed a small hug. Harry felt something on his hair, just for a moment, and Harry thought it might be Draco's lips. He took in a shaky breath, gathering courage, and as they started to move back, Harry kissed Draco's cheek.

Draco pulled back further, looking at him in wonder, then smiled shyly, looking down as he pulled a non-existent strand of hair behind his ear. As if a single hair would be out of place on his slicked back head. They both snickered airily, slightly awkwardly as they shifted their feet. Harry wasn't sure what to do next. What came after a kiss on the cheek? Was he ready to kiss him on the lips? Would he want that?

While Harry was pondering his existence, Draco placed his hand on Harry's shoulder. "I'll see you around, Harry." Then he was leaving. When he turned the corner, Harry touched the spot on his face where Draco had kissed him. He had known before now that he had a crush on Draco, but now he was thinking it might come to fruition. Draco had to like him back if he was kissing him! He wasn't sure how to go about starting something with him, however.

He was slightly uncomfortable with the idea of being with someone. He just didn't think he was ready for a relationship, after all, he was only thirteen. His roommates were starting to talk about girls, but he found what they talked about made him uncomfortable. Was it wrong that he just wanted to hold Draco's hand and spend time with him? Did that make him strange?

Everything went back to normal, or as normal as it ever was at Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione began fighting more than they ever had and Harry used the opportunity to sneak off and meet Draco. That was going very well. They really had a lot of fun when they were together, even if they talked about the most mundane things. Draco had a real talent for making him happy.

They made plans to meet up the morning after Halloween, thinking that most people would sleep in after the long feast the night before. It was also a Saturday and being absent for a couple hours wouldn't seem too strange. It was because of the early morning that Harry ate quicker than he would have normally and went to bed with an excuse of eating too much too quickly giving him an upset stomach.

It seemed like moments after he had fallen asleep that he was being shaken awake. He sat up quickly and reached for his glasses and the blur in front of him turned into Professor McGonagall.

"Oh, thank goodness you're alright, Mr. Potter. Have you been asleep this whole time?"

Harry couldn't help blushing and trying to move the bedsheets surreptitiously further up his body. "What whole time? What time is it?"

"The Feast has been over some twenty minutes, Mr. Potter. Did you see anything during the time you left and now?"

"Er, I don't know Professor, this is pretty strange. Why, what's happening?"

Professor McGonagall sighed, half in relief half in exasperation. In what Harry figured was rather out of character, she sat on the bed next to Harry. "Mr. Potter, earlier this evening, Sirius Black made an attempt to enter the Gryffindor Common Room. No one saw anything except Violet, the portrait guardian," she added at Harry's confused look. "And she couldn't say if he had actually entered or not. When it became apparent that you were in the Common Room at the time, there was concern as to your wellbeing. It appears, however, that Black was unable to enter, and you are no worse for wear."

Harry sat in silence. He could have easily been killed and he wouldn't have even had a chance to mentally say goodbye to anyone. He could have been killed in his sleep, never knowing that he had reached the end.

"Potter—" McGonagall broke into his thoughts, "_Are_ you alright?"

"Yeah," Harry said slowly, not entirely sure he was being truthful. "I mean, I knew Black was after me, but I really didn't think he would be able to get me."

McGonagall startled. "You knew Sirius Black was after you?"

Harry nodded. "Mr. Weasley warned me."

"Well," McGonagall drew herself up, "Far be it from me to determine the wisdom of that, but considering the current situation, I suppose it is for the best. Potter, I think it would be wise if you were to not go wandering off by yourself. I know, I know," she added at Harry's enraged look. "Under normal circumstances I would never endorse needing to, but your life is worth more than a little embarrassment. If it were up to me, you would be moved from this school to a secure location, but that would be impossible."

Harry tried to school his enraged and horrified look to one more sedated, but based on McGonagall's small smile, he didn't succeed.

"Incidentally, is that all Mr. Weasley told you, Mr. Potter? That Sirius Black would try to find you?"

Harry nodded, and McGonagall looked relieved…and slightly flustered. "That's all well and good." She was now avoiding Harry's eyes, and stood to try to hide it. "Come along Potter, in order to search the castle for Black and increase security, we are convening the students to the Great Hall."

"Wait—" Harry jumped up, tripping on his bedsheets, "What did Mr. Weasley leave out? Is there some reason besides him being Voldemort's right-hand-man that he's after me?"

"Mr. Potter I am expected at the search committee, and I am sure you are missed by your friends. Shall we?"

Disappointed, but sure now that there was something there, Harry joined McGonagall at the door. Their walk down to the Great Hall was silent, Harry trying to figure out a way to trick her into talking to him about Black, but he couldn't think of anything. Perhaps that was another reason he wasn't sorted into Slytherin.

At the doors, he was attacked by a bushy-haired girl and red head, not to mention a hoard of Gryffindors.

"All right settle down!" McGonagall called out. "We will give you more information in the morning. For now, it is past the point you should be sleeping. Please grab a sleeping bag and go to sleep!"

Grumbling, the students followed directions. In the ensuing chaos, Harry caught Draco's enlarged grey eye. "Are you ok," he mouthed, and Harry was stunned. Normally, he wouldn't risk anything more than a nod in front of others.

He nodded once, trying to prove the statement with his eyes. Draco must have gotten the message because he let out a deep breath.

"Let's find a corner over there," Ron broke in and brought Harry back to their group. They followed an empty section and compared notes in whispers, pretending to be asleep any time an official happened to wander by.

They finally fell asleep, and Harry woke several times from strange dreams.

He was sleeping so lightly it wasn't surprised in the least that he was one of the first ones awake. He noticed that Draco was stirring from his side of the Hall and knew that he would be out soon. He had a brief argument with Percy who wanted him to stay in the Hall, but as curfew had been lifted and soon other students were wanting to leave as well, he let them go.

Harry walked calmly, trying to look both like he had somewhere to go and that he didn't need to get there quickly. He had to wait only minutes in his and Draco's secret room before the door was opening.

Draco was there, the door was slamming, and Harry caught a glimpse of Draco's face. It was determined, fierce, and ever so slightly scared. Harry opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but before he could say anything, Draco was in his space, and their eyes met for one second before Draco's eyes closed-.

They were kissing. They were_ kissing_. It was so sweet, and warm, and veiled passion just below the surface. Harry threw his arms around Draco and Draco's hands were cupping Harry's face. Draco pulled back slightly, and their eyes met again. They breathed in each other's faces, rather heavily, as they looked for something. Harry found it. Seconds lengthened, then they were kissing again, and this one was more passionate. Harry pulled Draco to him, and before he knew it, before he was ready, they exchanged two small kisses as they pulled apart.

"I—" Draco whispered, and he looked awed now. "I just, last night, I was so scared… We heard that you were missing, and Sirius Black, and some of them were saying you probably got killed, and I realized how much you mean to me, and how I might never get the chance to tell you how I feel. And when I saw you, I've never been so happy to see anyone. And I just knew. Harry, I like you a lot. Like, a lot a lot. Will you…go out with me?"

Draco never admitted to his feelings. Draco never used run-on sentences or started them with 'and'. He never had such a nervous look on his face, one so awed. He was perfect.

"Of course, I will." Harry whispered, not wanting to break the reverence of the moment. Draco smiled, letting out the breath he was apparently holding.

"Good." He whispered, and they were kissing again.

Once the novelty of being able to kiss and the urgency had waned slightly, they took a seat in the larger of the two arm chairs. In first year, they would have been able to sit side by side easily. They were too big for that presently, so Draco ended up in Harry's lap.

They spoke small words in between small kisses and soaked up the joy of the new relationship and simply being alive.

"How long have you liked me," Harry asked after a while.

"Hmm." Draco hummed. "To be honest, I had a crush on The-Boy-Who-Lived as a child, I think every kid our age had one at some point," he added at Harry's horrified look, "but we both know that that person and you are totally different. So, at some point they blended, and I developed a crush on you. You, Harry. My friend. No one has ever treated me like you do. You're so special."

Harry blushed and ducked his head and Draco took the opportunity to kiss him on his temple. He did it slowly and hesitatingly, then followed the line down his jaw bone and to his lips. Harry moved his head to accommodate and meet him.

"How long have you liked me?" Draco asked a little while later.

"Honestly? From the second I saw you I knew you were special. There was just something about you I couldn't put my finger on. But I definitely liked it." Harry emphasized with a kiss. Their lips were starting to become slightly swollen and red, but Harry knew they weren't going to stop anytime soon. Kissing was wonderful and so much fun. Harry wondered what he had ever been worried about. Having a date was fantastic.

"Draco? How is this going to work? Us dating?" Harry brought up.

"You haven't had that talk yet? Well with two boys, there's more than one way to make love. There's—" He was grinning, probably joking, but Harry felt his stomach start to squirm.

"No!" Harry practically shouted. He knew the generalities of what Draco was talking about, but he knew he wouldn't be ready for any of that any time soon, much less talk about it. His heart rate picked up slightly, but he shook his head, trying to beat out how flustered he was. "I meant, just… How are we going to go on dates when we can't be seen together? How can we do _that_?"

"Oh." For the first time that day, Draco's face fell. Harry regretted asking immediately.

"Never mind, we don't have to—"

"No, no, we need to talk about it. I think we're just going to have to keep doing what we're doing. Sneaking around and meeting up in secret. Maybe we can have picnics out on the grounds and use that cloak of yours. Its not like there are many places to go other than Hogsmeade. Speaking of which, I bet there are tons of places in the Village."

"Yeah, that would be nice, but I don't have permission to go."

"What? That's ridiculous. Even Longbottom is going. You'll be the only one in our year not going!"

"Make me feel worse, why don't you?"

"Sorry." Draco murmured, cupping the side of Harry's face and bringing it closer to his. They kissed lightly, and it was the best apology Harry had ever had.

Despite having the possibility of dying last night, Harry was practically skipping down the Halls, whistling delightedly.

It must have made a strange sight, which is why he didn't blame Ron and Hermione for gaping at him.

"What's gotten into you, mate?" Ron asked half-seriously half-jokingly.

"Where have you been?" Hermione seemed to think was a more important question.

Harry looked at his friends. If he was even partially honest, it would invite more questions that he couldn't answer. Draco found this really important, but he felt terrible about not being honest with his best friends. It was a feeling he wasn't getting used to.

"I was just out. I ran into my friend and we got to talking for a bit." It was the best he could do.

"This is your pen pal?" Hermione dove onto the information. "Does he realize how important it is for you to be safe right now? For that matter, do you?"

Harry nodded guiltily. "I know Hermione, but you can't put a leash on me."

"I'm not trying—"

"You kind of are, Hermione, lay off the man, he's fine." Ron broke in. Harry smiled gratefully.

The Gryffindor and Slytherin match was approaching with trepidation for Harry and Draco, eagerness for the rest of the school. It was at the last quidditch practice before the game that they found out they wouldn't even be playing Slytherin.

"We're playing Hufflepuff instead!" Wood exploded, "Flint's excuse is that their Seeker's arm's still injured. But it's obvious why they're doing it. Don't want to play in this weather. Think it'll damage their chances…"

"That's rubbish!" Fred growled. "Harry got injured way worse than Malfoy and he's just fine!"

"I know that, but we can't prove it. But we have to win. _We have to win_."

Harry couldn't help blaming Draco for not wanting to play during the storm, but he was still a little cross with him. It turned out to not be Draco's idea, however, but Marcus Flint's, the Slytherin team captain.

"I'm sorry," he said after breaking the news to Harry. "I didn't know what else to do. But all you have to do is say that your back hurts and they'll have to just postpone the match. It's a win-win!"

Harry considered it and regretted it later when he decided not to go with it. Who would it have hurt to have the game postponed? After the match, he had other reasons to be regretful. One, they lost the match to Hufflepuff, and two, Harry's beloved broomstick, the Nimbus 2000, was destroyed.

He couldn't remember being more disappointed. It was difficult to sleep, so he sat bolt upright when he heard the hospital wing's doors open. He was starting to panic when a headless pair of lips brushed his forehead.

"We must stop meeting like this," Harry whispered, recognizing the lips as Draco's.

The lips smirked and the rest of him materialized. "How are you feeling," Draco purred.

"I'm…d-doing well." Harry stammered as Draco leaned closer and closer to him.

"That's good. Well enough to… have some fun?" Harry felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest.

They were kissing, and Harry figured that was good enough of an answer. Draco had climbed up on the bed and was kneeling at Harry's side, his fist in Harry's hair. He seemed to like weaving his fingers in Harry's fringe.

After what seemed like an eternity, Draco leaned back. "My legs are getting tired," he whispered, mindful of it being the middle of the night.

"How romantic," Harry whispered back. Draco snorted as he repositioned to the headboard where Harry had made room for him. They kissed once more, and Draco looked down at their clasped hands. He was rubbing his thumb lightly over Harry's.

"I'm really sorry about today," he said in a low tone. "When I saw you fall…I thought my heart was going to stop. It was so scary. Please don't do that to me, again."

Harry smiled lightly and nodded his head. "I don't really plan these things, you know. They just kind of happen to me."

"Yeah, I'm sure they do. Can't you just pay more attention to your surroundings? Maybe if you had noticed the dementors, they wouldn't have had such a negative effect on you."

"I think they would've had the same effect on me regardless. Lupin says its because my past is so horrible."

"Oh." Draco said quietly.

"I finally figured out what I hear when I'm near them. It's my mother. Screaming. I think it was right before she died."

"Oh," Draco repeated. He appeared to not know what to say. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

"Sweetheart?"

"Don't like it?"

"No, actually, the opposite. What should I call you?" Harry kissed the side of his cheek. He wasn't that good at creative names.

"That's something you have to come up with. Just whatever feels right."

"I'm sure I'll think of something." Draco brought up their clasped hands and kissed Harry's.

"I'm sure you will."

Harry hesitated, not sure if he should ask, but, "what do you hear when the dementors get close to you?"

Draco blinked. He looked anywhere but at Harry, and Harry realized it had been a mistake after all.

"Forget it. I don't need to know."

"Well…" Draco sighed. "It's not like I don't want you to know, it's just uncomfortable for me, is all. I'll tell you someday, alright?"

"Okay," Harry agreed easily. Someday was not something he pondered very often. It was just some time in the future, some thing that everybody did eventually. It made him wonder what he and Draco would be when he did tell him. Would they go back to being friends, or would they be boyfriends? Partners—that was the term when the couple was gay and serious right? Suddenly, a whole new world opened up, a world in which he had a future. Possibly, a future with Draco.

He was brought back to the present rather violently. "What are you doing out of bed?" It was Madam Pomfrey, dressed in a nightgown and robe, holding her lit wand aloft. "Mr. Malfoy, explain yourself!"

Draco's eyes widened, he jumped up and started his explanation. "Madam, I just wanted to check on Harry, I was so worried about him and I couldn't come and see him earlier!"

Harry wasn't sure, even after reviewing the memory dozens of times, how Draco had gotten away with only getting ten points deducted from his House. He was sure it had something to do with how Draco had wailed about Harry and their feuding friends, or possibly he just carried on long enough that Madam Pomfrey got tired of hearing him talk.

They said a quick goodbye, sans a kiss, and Draco left under Harry's invisibility cloak.

As the date for the next Hogsmeade visit drew nearer, Harry grew more and more forlorn. Everyone seemed to be excited for it, talking constantly. Harry had spent the previous one with Professor Lupin, but Draco brought up that nearly everyone would be gone, and it would be a perfect time for a date.

"You don't mind cutting your visit short?" Harry asked Draco.

"Not if I get to spend my time with you, sweetheart." That earned Draco a kiss or two…or ten.

When the day came, Harry tried hard to look appropriately gloomy as he waved Ron and Hermione goodbye. As soon as they left, Harry took off to the dorms. He was in charge of finding blankets for a picnic and trying to get some candles. He had half the day, and he was planning on finding jars for the bluebell flame Hermione had specialized in First year.

However, he was pulled into an empty classroom before he made it very far. "What are you doing?" He asked once he realized it was Fred and George that had pulled him in. "How come you're not going to Hogsmeade?"

"We've come to give you a bit of festive cheer before we go." Fred winked. What turned out to be festive cheer was a map that showed where anyone was at the school. It was an incredible bit of magic.

After Fred and George went off, Harry checked his watch. There was plenty of time to get to Hogsmeade and find Draco before Draco was meant to come back for their date, and then they could have it in the village instead!

He set off under his invisibility cloak, and it only took about an hour to find Draco. It was tempting to scare Ron and Hermione when he saw them, but they were debating what sweets to buy Harry, so he let them go.

Draco was in a store that sold what seemed to be magical office supplies like parchment and quills. Draco was arguing with one of the Slytherin boys he didn't know when he first sidled up to him. When the argument was over, he breathed a kiss through the fabric onto his neck. Draco jumped and gave a small shriek. When he turned there was no one there and his group of Slytherin friends were staring at him. Draco chuckled dryly. "Thought I felt a ghost," he explained, still looking around.

When everyone had turned around, Harry went up to Draco's ear. "It's me," he whispered. Draco drew in a breath but otherwise didn't react. Draco nodded slightly and wandered down one of the deserted aisles. Harry followed, and moved the cloak to uncover his face just in front of him to settle him down.

"What are you playing at," Draco whispered furiously. "Going around kissing people like that?"

"Just you," Harry whispered lightly, trying to look as cute as possible. He must have succeeded because Draco smiled and leaned forward to give him a quick kiss.

"What are you doing here? I thought you weren't allowed in the village."

"Look, Fred and George Weasley gave it to me," Harry pulled the map out to show Draco the shortcut he had taken.

"This is incredible," Draco commented. "Fantastic bit of magic."

Draco stared for several minutes. "So, now that I'm here," Harry cut in, "want to have our date in Hogsmeade?"

Draco looked up and smiled. "Sure, just let me get rid of my entourage and follow me."

All he said was he had something to take care of and left the store. Harry was impressed, he certainly wouldn't get away with that with his friends.

They spent a couple minutes looking at the storefronts before Draco suggested butterbeer at the three broomsticks. When they got there, Madam Rosmerta was sitting in a booth with-

"Hagrid, McGonagall, Flitwick, and the Minister?" Draco whispered. "Let's go."

"Get the food you ordered first, I'm invisible, remember? I'll go wait outside."

Draco grumbled. He had in fact ordered a picnic basket full of food and butterbeers, and it was getting closer to lunch time.

He was making his way carefully towards the door when he caught sight of Ron and Hermione ducking low in their booth behind a Christmas tree. They were barely visible, and Harry's shackles went up. What was wrong?

He moved closer and stood still right next to the Christmas tree and listened in horror to the conversation unfolding in front of him.

"…Sirius Black and James Potter!"

Apparently, his father and Sirius Black had been best friends at Hogwarts. So close, in fact, that when James and Lily had gone into hiding, Black, his godfather, had been chosen to protect the secret of where they were. He betrayed them, and they might not have died if it hadn't had been for him. He also killed Peter Pettigrew, but Harry was still reeling from the earlier revelation. This is what McGonagall had been hinting about at Halloween.

He stumbled out of the bar when it seemed there was nothing left for the group to discuss. He made it outside before any of them and leaned against the wall of the bar. He was having a hard time processing and felt entirely too numb.

He heard his name, and that partially jogged him out of his stupor. Draco was pacing in the storefront, when no one was nearby he would whisper Harry's name. "I'm here," he said in a clear voice.

Draco rounded on him, red in the face and furious. "Where have you been?" he whisper-snapped. "Do you know how long I've been waiting? How stupid I look? Where do you get off-?" He went on for what seemed like forever. Harry didn't think he could feel much worse, but he definitely did. After a while, Draco's drowning voice blended together, and he could take no more.

He slid down and sat on the cold ground, not caring how freezing it was. "…Do you even—wait, are you sitting on the ground? Get up, come on." He grabbed Harry's arm and was dragging him through the town.

They made it to the deserted Shrieking Shack and Draco led him further into the woods. Once he thought he found a good place, he ripped off Harry's cloak. "You—you, Harry, what's wrong? What's wrong sweetheart? I'm sorry, don't cry, it's not that big a deal—" Harry reached up and realized there were indeed tears on his face and wiped them away furiously.

"No, you don't…in the bar, I overheard…Sirius Black…" It took a long time, but Harry finally got out the full story, choking on half of it. When he was done, Draco hugged him, squeezing him tightly. Harry had never experienced anything like it. Like the person who was hugging him wanted nothing more than to hold him until everything was ok. That's exactly what Draco did.

Harry wasn't sure how long they were there, kneeling—when had they sunk to the cold ground? —with Draco holding him while he sobbed and when had he started crying? Eventually, he got a hold of himself and mused that he did feel a bit better. He was so used to crying getting him nowhere that he often suppressed the desire to let go of his feelings when he felt like it. Now, however, he didn't feel as empty.

With a return to himself came the realization that he was frozen half to death. Draco bundled him up as much as he could and the two of them downed the butterbeer that had been charmed to stay the perfect hot temperature. It helped. Harry used the empty bottles to ignite the bluebell flames and soon they had a circle keeping them perfectly warm. Harry didn't want to move out of the little bubble they had created together, and Draco seemed to sense it.

They cuddled close together and spoke quietly about absolutely nothing. How lovely the forest was, how good the food was, how warm the flames were.

Eventually, Draco whispered that it was time to go. Harry nodded but didn't move. Draco cupped his face and kissed him, and it was absolutely wonderful.

"Harry?" Ron's voice came from somewhere above him, "are you awake?" Harry was laying down in his bed in the dorm. It was Christmas morning, and he hadn't slept well, if at all, as he had been since he had heard about Sirius Black. He didn't answer.

Ron left shortly, and Harry rolled around in his bed. He had spent every moment he could alone, not even Draco could pull him out of the depressed slump he found himself in.

After what felt like hours, he went down to the Common Room and found Ron and Hermione sitting in front of the fireplace, presents all around them. Seeing them there, having obviously waited for him to wake up, lightened his heart enough that he made a considerable effort to play nice and slapped a smile on his face.

"Hey guys," he said, "happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas, Harry," they chorused. They opened presents much more sedately than they had in years past, but Harry opened a box that changed how he felt. In it, was a Firebolt.

Ron and Harry spent the rest of time until lunch talking about it excitedly.

That all came to a grinding halt when McGonagall confiscated it.

"What did you go running to McGonagall for?" Ron yelled at Hermione after she had left.

Hermione drew herself up and said, "Because I thought – and Professor McGonagall agrees with me—that that broom was probably sent to Harry by Sirius Black!"

"What?" Ron and Harry shouted. "Why the hell would he send Harry a broom? And how, Hermione, would he have gotten the money? Who would sell it to him? Well, Hermione? Ever think about that?"

Hermione seemed to fade when faced with both of them and Ron's logic. "Well, those are all good questions, but you must admit it's suspicious—."

"I'm famous!" Harry shouted. "Literally anyone in the wizarding world could have sent it to me. Of course, I was going to get it checked out, but you got it _taken away from me against my will_ and _given it to a teacher!_ Who is now going to strip it down. Did your bright brain think about that, Hermione, huh?"

"But—but" Hermione stammered, but Harry wasn't done. He had just realized something. It was like the anger was bringing out more anger in him.

"I know how badly Black wants me, Hermione, and I noticed you two haven't once even attempted to warn me, about how he was my parents' best friend, our secret keeper, my godfather?!"

Hermione and Ron both gasped and started stammering out something, but Harry was too far gone to care.

"That's right! I snuck into Hogsmeade and heard all about it! Both of you were there, I saw you, and you've had plenty of time to come tell me, but you didn't and what kind of friends does that make you?"

They fell silent, and Hermione had tears in her eyes. Harry was repulsed by the both of them and left.

"How are you doing, Sweetheart," Draco asked as he pulled Harry close to him in a hug and kissed the top of his head. Harry had gone to the Secret Room to be alone, but Draco was a welcome addition.

Harry shrugged, not really sure.

"I heard a rumor that you had a fight with the other two points of your triangle." Harry pulled a face. "Not my greatest nickname, I'll admit."

Harry snorted and looked down. "I'm hardly any better. Still haven't thought of a pet name for you."

"You'll think of one. I know you will. And I'll love it whatever it is."

They worked on improving their room for the rest of the day. They set up some blankets Draco had nicked from the laundry in a corner of the room next to the chairs. Harry collected the butterbeer bottles and ignited the bluebell flame inside them and set them in a circle, some on the table they had nearby. Once they were done, they lay in the bundle of blankets and cuddled. The warmth from the flames along with the softness of the blanket created a comfort that had never been matched for either of them.

Harry did not forgive either Ron or Hermione and the next couple weeks were eye-opening. He made friends with lots of other people from other houses, renewed relationships with people in his house, and of course, spent an unholy amount of time with Draco. He had fun, but no one was Ron and Hermione.

He started to have his lessons with Lupin, and he couldn't help but wonder if all his negative feelings were affecting him.

Through the Hogwarts rumor mill, Harry heard the Hermione's cat had finally eaten Scabbers, and he finally decided to console Ron. He was still miffed with the both of them, but Hermione especially.

Almost immediately after he and Ron had cautiously made up on a contingency basis, McGonagall returned his firebolt. It was with his firebolt that he won them the game with Ravenclaw, which meant they were competing for the Quidditch Cup with Slytherin. Harry was nervous about competing against Draco, the earlier loss had really shaken his confidence. He did feel unbeatable with his firebolt, however. He just didn't want anything to come between him and Draco.

Draco seemed to think Slytherin was doomed to lose, and he became a little despondent and moody as a result. Harry did his best to cheer him up and even offered to throw the match. Draco was horrified and said there was no honor in that. At once, he cheered up, and said that at least he could be happy his boyfriend was a quidditch legend. Harry wasn't sure about that, but whatever made Draco happy.

Later that night, Sirius Black made another attempt on Harry's life, only he got Ron's bed instead of Harry's. Consequently, Harry forgave Ron completely for not telling him about Black, and Draco practically attacked Harry the next time he saw him. Harry finally showed Ron the map and they prepared to go to the next Hogsmeade visit together.

When he told Draco, he didn't react well. They had tentatively, at least to Harry, scheduled another date for that day. Draco called Harry several names and stormed off, leaving Harry wondering about them.

The day of Hogsmeade arrived rather gloomy. Regardless, Ron and Harry had a rather nice day until they got to the shrieking shack.

They had been staring at it for just a couple minutes when a group of Slytherins approached, with Draco in the middle being the loudest, it sounded like he had just told a joke. His eyes widened then narrowed when he saw Ron standing there, seemingly alone, but he had to know Harry was standing nearby under an invisibility cloak.

"And here's Weasley!" He announced loudly, "with his girlfriend." All the Slytherins laughed, but Harry alone heard the cut for what it was against Harry.

Draco may have started it, but the other Slytherins joined in, and soon there was a yelling match. To make things more even, Harry started slinging mud at the Slytherins. He avoided Draco as he didn't want to make things worse than they were already, even if he was slightly miffed that Draco had reacted so badly. Chaos ensued for several minutes, with one of the boys saying the shack really was haunted. Draco's lips twitched as he tried not to laugh, trying valiantly not to laugh. That only spurred Harry on.

However, one of the Slytherins, a tall boy with dark skin, got a little too close to Harry and his cloak slipped past his face. "It's Potter!"

"Back to the castle," one of the other boys yelled, "you're dead, Potter!"

Draco sent Harry an alarmed look, one mirrored by Harry, before they all took off for the castle.

Harry was faster and got to Honeydukes with the secret passage before the collective group got there. He didn't slow down in the secret passage but decided to leave his invisibility cloak and map in there and strolled casually out. He made his way to the Gryffindor common room and managed to change into clean clothes before sitting in front of the fire. There were plenty of people in the common room and he figured it wouldn't be a bad thing to establish an alibi.

Barely minutes later, Snape entered the common room, for once looking cheery and excited, or more so than Harry had ever seen him. A cruel smile curled on his face as he reached and looked down at Harry. "Mistah Pottah." He pronounced slowly, "Come. With. Me."

Harry gulped but plastered a look of polite confusion on his face. What followed next was one of the most uncomfortable times of his life. He maintained that he had wandered the grounds and castle alone, then went to the Gryffindor Common Room. Snape tried his best to break him, then escorted him to see Dumbledore. He couldn't see how he would get out of it with Dumbledore. However, he did.

The Slytherins told Dumbledore how they had seen Harry in Hogsmeade, but in a surprising twist, a number of Gryffindors swore up and down that they had seen Harry that day walking around various areas of the castle and grounds. Before he knew it, Dumbledore's office was filled with students all claiming to have seen him. Harry did notice that they were mostly his new friends and friends of friends he had made while not speaking to Ron and Hermione and found another reason to keep up with those relationships.

Harry was sure he was imagining it, but the more students came in, the more Dumbledore's eyes seemed to twinkle, and the angrier Snape seemed to get. Finally, Dumbledore declared that it was all hearsay at this point and no punishment would be given. Harry let himself feel elation as Snape stomped off, but it evaporated at Dumbledore request that Harry stay.

"Harry," Dumbledore started. "It has come to my attention that you are aware of how important it is that you are kept safe within these walls. I don't wish for any of your privileges to be taken away should another event such as this were to happen again. I advise extreme caution on your part."

Professor Dumbledore always seemed to have a way of making Harry feel guilty. He had a feeling that he knew that Harry had been in Hogsmeade, but for some reason he was willing to let Harry get away with it. Harry nodded, trying to fight the nausea he was now feeling.

He wandered around for a bit, thinking about his priorities and found himself at the entrance to his and Draco's secret room. He took a deep breath and went in.

Draco stood from his chair immediately. "Well?" He asked with a determined look on his face.

"I got off. Scott free."

"Good." Draco released a breath. He sat back down and gestured to the other chair. Harry sighed and took it.

They sat in silence for a long while, the minutes stretching out. Finally, Harry burst out, "Look, I'm sorry I made other plans on our date day. This secret relationship thing is hard, Draco."

"I know it is, Harry. It's hard on me too. All I want to do is shout from the top of the astronomy tower that you're my boyfriend. Do you know how many people are starting to take notice of you? You are _mine_ and no one knows it. I think that's why I was so frustrated when you broke our date, but I forgot it's one of our rules and it's a rule for a reason. I'm sorry, too. I didn't need to react like I did."

"I think I'm probably pants at relationships. And if you haven't noticed, I'm pretty thick, so if I ever do something stupid, just say so, alright?"

"Yeah, sure." Draco agreed easily enough and scooted his chair slightly closer to Harry's. Harry scooted his chair closer as well, and soon they were close enough to hold hands.

"…and I figured I needed to find a way to stall, so I told them we needed to go to Dumbledore's office. Father told me where it is." Draco told the story of his day, "When we got there we had no idea what the password was. So, I tried to get them to guess but after a couple minutes, Blaise came up with the idea that one of us should try to find Snape anyway. So, he went off to do that. Then after we left, I started pronouncing how you were doomed since we had seen you in Hogsmeade in front of several key people and the rumor mill took over the rest. That's how everyone knew to go see Dumbledore."

"Brilliant. Just brilliant. I don't know if I would have gotten away with it if it hadn't been for you, Draco."

"Luckily for us, you never have to find out what it would be like to not have me." Draco smirked. Harry kissed it away.

He met up with Ron and Hermione later that day and made up with the latter after she apologized. Buckbeak lost his trial and was set to be executed. There was an appeal and the group bonded by researching for it. Harry knew it was fruitless more than the other two, however. He had talked about it with Draco, and that hadn't gone well. They didn't fight this time, but Draco said it was out of his hands, and his father's hands, at this point. Despite what Ron and Hermione thought, Mr. Malfoy hadn't had to bribe anyone. The ministry classified hippogriffs as dangerous creatures and it was enough that one had hurt a student for it to be executed.

Harry was rather upset at hearing that there was nothing they could do and that combined with exams coming up made him a little tense. The elation at winning the quidditch cup had faded quickly, especially with Draco being so surly about it.

Hermione was not handling the stress well either. She had quit Divination, in a rather spectacular and dramatic way.

In an effort to see each other despite all the studying and appeal planning, Harry and Draco snuck out after curfew. They decided to forgo their usual room and have some fun in a hidden alcove like the other normal couples but had forgone using an invisibility cloak. It was indeed fun, snogging out in the open…until they were caught. Thankfully, they weren't actually snogging at that point. They heard the approaching footsteps and struggled to get the cloak on but didn't manage it by the time Professor Lupin turned the corner.

They had pretended to be having a fight, as they had agreed upon beforehand if they ever got caught together. Professor Lupin let him keep the cloak, possibly because he couldn't see it, but took away a modest amount of points and confiscated the blank map. How he knew what it was was beyond Harry.

Exams started with a surprise bang that no one but Hermione seemed prepared for. Harry thought they went alright, except perhaps Divination, where Professor Trelawney had some sort of episode.

That day happened to coincide with Buckbeak's execution and his team of appealers went to visit Hagrid. They had lost the appeal as well, to no one's surprise except Hagrid's. To round off the day of surprises, Hermione found Scabbers in Hagrid's milk jug.

After they left Hagrid's when it was almost time for the actual execution, they ran into Draco and his merry band of Slytherins joking and laughing, spying on Hagrid's hut.

"Oi," Ron called, "clear out of here!"

"Just watching the show, Weasley. Why don't you leave?"

"You foul loathsome evil little cockroach!" Hermione screamed as she approached Draco heatedly. Before anyone could make any sense of what was happening, a SMACK resounded around the area and Draco was screaming in pain.

Harry gaped. He couldn't believe Hermione had _hurt_ his boyfriend. Things had never gotten physical between the two groups. He wanted nothing more to run in front of him, turn back time and jump in between them to prevent Draco from getting hurt. Not for the first time, but definitely for the most, Harry wished he could tell his friends what Draco really meant to him, if for no other reason than to tell Hermione how much he wished she hadn't done that.

Draco was running off before Harry could do anything, not that he could do much of anything. At the same time, Scabbers bit Ron and a small line formed where Harry was chasing Hermione who was chasing Ron, who was chasing Scabbers. He headed towards the Whomping willow and that was when a giant black dog appeared, growling and snarling.

All three of them screamed and the dog attacked, dragging Ron towards the giant tree. "Ron!" His friends yelled. They attempted to get into the tree, but it wouldn't let them near. That was when Crookshanks appeared out of nowhere and found a knot that made the tree freeze.

"I cannot believe I missed another one of your adventures!" Draco exclaimed as Harry's story came to an end. They were in their secret room, the day after he got out of the hospital wing. "I was right there, too! All I had to do is follow you lot and I could have been a part of it, but _nooo_. I had to go off and get my broken nose fixed!"

In all the excitement, Harry had forgotten about that. He didn't dare say that, though. "My poor baby," he said sweetly. "Hey there it is!"

"Just who are you calling a baby? Where's what?"

"Your cute little pet name: Baby. Not a baby: _baby_, Baby." Harry put on his most winning smile as Draco's eyes became large.

"Oh, no you don't, Potter, don't you dare—."

"How is your nose anyway? That smack was deafening."

"My nose is all better, thank you very much for asking after we've been here for _hours_. So nice of you, Sweetheart. Really."

"Oh, come on now, Baby," Harry murmured as he cradled Draco's face close. He nuzzled their noses together and Draco's eyes narrowed further.

"Do you remember when I told you that whatever name you came up with I would love? Well get ready, I was wrong." At Harry's mocking loud gasp, he continued. "Yes, that's right. First and last time it'll ever happen so take note of it."

Harry laughed. It was wonderful to let go of all his worries for a while and just enjoy some time with Draco. He was really going to miss him over the summer holidays.

End Third Year

**A/N: Well, they're together! I didn't want to stretch it out too much, but I don't think it happened too quickly either. I almost had Draco come in the shrieking shack with them and make snarky comments, but that would have been too out there. Thanks for reading and reviewing, if you have/will.**


	4. Year 4 Part I

**A/N: Year 4 will be split up into 3 sections. Please enjoy, Part I.**

Harry gasped as he woke up. This was both because he was in the middle of a dream, and because Mrs. Weasley had just shaken him awake. The dream was quickly fading, but Harry recognized some of the components from a dream he had earlier in the Summer. It involved a man named Frank, who turned into Sirius and was strangled by a large snake. At least one good thing about Divination was he now knew enough about dreams to realize what all the components meant. He had a dream about Frank and a snake earlier in the summer and he had told Ron and Hermione about it the night before. He had also told Sirius about the original dream and was worried about him. That was all easy to explain, but he wasn't quite sure why his sheets were wet. Did he have another dream before that?

He was incredibly embarrassed to feel the dampness and wished he could use magic to clear it up. Would Mrs. Weasley know what had caused it? _What am I thinking_, Harry thought to himself, _she has six sons, of course she knows what it is_. In a way, that helped calm him down enough to think of a plan. Ron was still getting up when Harry 'accidentally' knocked over a glass of water onto his bed sheets. It didn't solve the problem completely, but he managed to clean the sheets to a reasonable doubt of what caused it with a sock.

That taken care of, he set about getting ready for the day, which happened to be the day of the Quidditch World Cup! It wasn't enough excitement for any of the kids to wake up, but by the time they were setting up the tent they would be staying in, Harry at least was awake, and looking forward to later that day.

They got some exercise wandering around the campsite, then climbing what seemed like thousands of sets of purple stairs. They were in the Top Box along with the Minister for Magic, several ministry workers, and the Malfoys! Harry gasped when he saw Draco enter the box with his family. A shocked expression flashed across his face for a moment before his Slytherin Mask was back in place. Words were exchanged between Mr. Weasley, Mr. Malfoy and the Minister, but Harry was paying too much attention to Draco to listen. They exchanged heated glares throughout the match to cover for all the times they turned to stare at each other.

"What's that?" Harry asked over the noise of the crowd, pointing at a large screen at the point of the field, facing the rest of the stadium.

"It's Visiomagic! New technology, I can't believe they have it ready in time for the match! See, there are spells on these cameras that record the action and then it's magically played back on those tarps over there," Mr. Weasley pointed to the screen. "Fascinating bit of magic, that is. I can't wait to see it."

"Father, didn't you invest heavily in the Visiomagic company?" Came Draco's drawling voice from further down the row.

"Why yes, Draco, I did. It was my son that convinced me how lucrative the endeavor would be," Malfoy added to the minister. "He's becoming quite the entrepreneur." Draco smirked at Harry, who glared back.

Visiomagic was fantastic. It was like a muggle movie, only the cameras were enchanted to follow the players. It honestly got dizzying after a while watching the wobbliness. It was almost like being on a rollercoaster. Harry preferred the Omnioculars.

When the mascots came out, particularly the Veela from Bulgaria, something strange happened to the rest of the boys in the Box.

Suddenly, all the boys were standing, yelling to the Veela their accomplishments. All the boys except Harry and Draco. Hermione watched Harry with narrowed eyes after she had taken in all the other males in the area. Harry wondered momentarily if he should fake a reaction that would take her eyes off of him, but he wasn't entirely sure why all the boys were acting so strange. He didn't dare look back at Draco.

"Veela have magic that attracts members of the opposite sex to them." Hermione said clearly, and a little loudly when Harry decided to ask. "They have characteristics of birds when threatened, angered, or extreme contentment. I'm sure you'll see what I mean. It's very interesting that they are the national mascot of Bulgaria, they were mostly converging on France, I think it's because…" By that time, the demonstration was over, and Harry tuned Hermione out.

"Wait, what was that?" He asked her over the applause, he thought he had heard something interesting.

"Honestly, Harry. I said, 'their magic has been proven to not work on members of the opposite sex who are in love, it doesn't follow their sexual orientation, haven't hit puberty, or are under several types of potions.' I don't understand why I go through with answering your questions if you aren't going to pay attention to me…"

Harry avoided her eyes, still blushing from when she had said 'sex.' He knew that wasn't what she meant, but with the recent Veela's magic still in his system, that's where his mind took him. He was also looking away because he was afraid she would ask about which one he was.

"Harry?" Hermione's voice had changed, became gentler, and it startled Harry into looking up at her. Her eyes were questioning as hard as any other feature of her face, but they also had great care and compassion and Harry was reminded why he loved her.

Just then, as Hermione was opening her mouth, the game began, and Harry was quickly and violently thrown back into the game. He noticed Hermione throwing speculative glances throughout the game and later back at the campsite when the match ended. He really wasn't sure which option he would prefer she assume applied to him.

She tried to pull him aside several times, but Harry managed to luckily avoid it when the older Weasleys drunkenly refused to let him leave the table. Mr. Weasley had protested weakly when alcohol was brought in and had allowed the kids to have a goblet of firewisky mixed with juice. He had taken up a corner of the table and trying to get them to collectively sing the Hogwarts' school song.

"No, no, see… it's 'old and bold', from the top now…"

"No, dad, its 'old and bald.'"

"Oh, _old and bold, or young with stabby keys_."

A chorus of laughter went up around the tent.

It was a merry lot that finally went to bed or passed out at the table like Bill. Mr. Weasley had allowed the underages to have a sip of firewisky, but Harry wasn't keen on repeating the experience. Harry dreamed about being a quidditch player, flying around the pitch on his firebolt, when he was rudely shaken awake by Mr. Weasley.

"'s' matter?" he asked.

He was still rubbing his eyes when the words registered. The screams outside the tent had turned from celebratory to panicked.

He attempted to pull on clothes over his pajamas, but Mr. Weasley told him to just grab a jacket. He did so and ran out of the tent level with Ron and Hermione. The campsite was in utter chaos. There were people everywhere, screaming, running, panicking. Off in the distance, he could see four bodies in the distance being suspended midair above bonfires. The figures that were levitating them were laughing as they turned one of the muggles upside-down. Harry realized it must be Mr. Roberts and his family.

Hermione pulled him, and they were off before his nausea could catch up with him. It was dark and confusing on the way to the woods. Mr. Weasley instructed the younger lot to get to the woods and stick together while they went to help the ministry.

That was easier said than done however, because Ron tripped over his own feet and he, Ron and Hermione were separated from Fred, George and Ginny. Things calmed once in the forest, and they took a moment to look around.

To his utter surprise, there was Draco. "Hadn't you better be hurrying along, now? You wouldn't like_ her_ spotted, would you?" Ron and Hermione glared. Harry, who was a little behind them, sent a relieved smile in his direction at him being safe. Draco did not return it, but adjusted his stance leaning up against the tree to hide his slight nod.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked defiantly.

"Granger, they're after _muggles_. Do you want to show off your knickers in midair? Because if you do, hang around… they're moving this way. And it would give us all a laugh." Harry could hear the underlying message, _they needed to get out of here…_ but Harry was still confused about what was happening. Did Draco know, could he tell Harry?

"Hermione's a witch," He snarled. "Just what are you on, Malfoy?"

"Me? Nothing. I was just hoping to catch you running away like brave little Gryffindors. I think it's cute. Finally learning something from Hogwarts' greatest House. Sometimes running away, quickly, is the only way to go. Don't you agree, Potter?" Harry again heard the underlying message. What's more, he could see that Draco was risking a lot to warn them, even if he was being his arsey self about doing it, as he had to. He could see the panic in his eyes as his face stayed clear. As their eyes met, Draco's hardened and flicked in the direction they should be going and just for a second, he was pleading.

Ron and Hermione were berating Draco, and Harry realized he had just used a no-no word, Mudblood. Harry was instantly upset, Draco knew he wasn't supposed to be using that word, but maybe that was a message, too? He relaxed as he realized it must be an indicator that they really needed to get out of here. Maybe Hermione really was in danger, Harry remembered Draco telling him about Death Eaters, how his father was presumably one. That had to be the group torturing the muggles, which meant Draco _was_ being serious and this situation could very well turn dire. It wasn't like the Death Eaters would be displeased at finding him, either.

Interrupting Ron, he cut in, "You know what, I think I hear George calling. Hope to not see you around, Malfoy." With that, he was pulling them both further into the woods. When he was certain Ron and Hermione were focused on each other, they had started arguing whether Harry was right to pull them away, he turned back to nod and send a kiss towards Draco, who sent one in return and placed a hand over his heart.

Slightly swooning, he moved forward, patting down his pockets for his wand. He wanted to light it as Ron and Hermione had done. While he was looking, panic growing as he couldn't find it, Winky, the House-Elf from the match, came running by. "There is bad wizards about!" She informed them.

"I can't find my wand!" They lost her in the resulting shuffle. He really had lost his wand.

"Maybe you left it back in the tent?" Ron asked weakly.

"Maybe it fell out of your pocket when we were running?" Hermione suggested more pessimistically. It turned out, Winky had been the one to take it back when they were sitting in the Top Box. The next few minutes were tense, as a strange symbol took to the sky, they were surrounded by Ministry officials and accused of releasing the 'Dark Mark' into the sky. Winky had been the one to do that too, and she was fired by her master, Barty Crouch, for it.

"What is the Dark Mark, anyway?" Harry asked after they were finally heading back to the tent.

"To understand that, Harry, you need to know about the Death Eaters. They are the group that-."

"I know about the Death Eaters." Harry interrupted.

"Oh? Well, that's their symbol. It's a symbol that they release after they have killed someone. People would come home during the first war, see that symbol hanging above their home, and know that a member of their family had died."

Everyone looked morose at that. Harry couldn't imagine coming home to find his spouse dead. His children were simply unfathomable. He allowed himself a minute to picture it being Draco he came home to, was married to, had children with. Soon he was picturing it in a time of peace, not war, when they were happier than they could be. It was with a smile that he finally got back in bed, terrors of the day not forgotten, but cleared from his head.

The rest of the summer passed in much the same way. They were kids, having fun over the last moments of peace and freedom before going back to school, but there was a dark cloud of worry in the elder Weasley's faces. It came out on Mrs. Weasley's face when Mr. Weasley left for work, on his face when he would read the morning paper. They tried to hide it from the teenagers, but that only made their worry more apparent.

As was becoming tradition, Malfoy came by on the Hogwarts Express to make fun of Harry and his friends. Harry knew it was his way of ribbing him and saying he missed him. Harry waited five minutes after he left before excusing himself to the bathroom. He was pulled into a cubicle before he knew what hit him.

Seconds later, Harry's lips were attacked by the sweetest mouth he had ever tasted. Not that he knew what other people's mouths tasted like, but he couldn't imagine something sweeter than Draco. Even his saliva tasted better than honey.

As Harry moved down towards his neck, Draco mumbled out, "missed you…so much. It was so hard…oh yes…seeing you…and not being able to-uh- do this to you."

Their lips met again in a passionate dance. Harry couldn't get close enough, and pulled Draco closer to him, ignoring their middles, instead wrapping his arms around his neck. He had missed Draco so much. More than anything else about Hogwarts.

Suddenly, Draco bucked his hips against Harry and Harry froze. He had felt something hard up against _him_ and although he was in a similar state, he felt tremors go through his nerves. He had never felt _Draco _before, and he wasn't sure what to do now. His breathing was picking up, and his heart was beating dangerously. Draco continued his kissing for a few seconds before he realized Harry wasn't participating.

"Hey," he whispered, blinking at Harry trying to catch his eye while placing his hand on Harry's face to meet his eyes. They were both panting heavily, and Harry took a couple inches of space between them. "What's wrong, Sweetheart?"

Harry was still avoiding his eyes as he leaned back against the sink. "Sorry." He was flushed red, both from the heat from their snogging and from embarrassment.

"There's nothing to apologize for, just tell me what's wrong." Harry opened his mouth several times, trying desperately to think of something. "Harry," Draco whispered, "it's ok. Whatever it is, you can tell me."

"It's not a big deal. I'm sorry, I just-" he had to get out of there, there wasn't enough room. The bathroom was tiny, there couldn't be enough air with both of them in there. They were going to die! He made a move to the door, but Draco blocked his path. Draco was going to break up with him. He was going to make fun of him, run out into the corridor and declare him to be a loser for all to hear.

"It's ok, Harry! Calm down. Breathe with me, ok? In and out. In and out. Good, just like that." Harry realized that his breathing had indeed picked up speed until it resembled a panic attack. Maybe that was happening, because his heart was drumming in his ears and he was starting to get dizzy. He had had these before, but never in front of anyone.

Humiliation burned in his eyes as he nevertheless breathed in Draco's pattern. It was several minutes later that he finally calmed down. He had been placed on the sink by Draco, whose forehead was now resting against his own. He could not be more embarrassed.

"I love you." Draco whispered. Harry's head snapped up as he finally met Draco's eyes out of pure shock.

"What?" In the back of his mind, he registered that wasn't the right thing to say in this situation, but…

"I love you, Harry." Draco repeated. "Whatever just happened, it's fine. It doesn't matter. We don't even need to talk about it if you don't want to. I just wanted you to know, because I've been feeling this way for a while, and I know now's not a great time, and it doesn't matter if you don't feel the same way—I mean, it's fine if you don't…"

"No one's ever told me that before." Harry whispered. He didn't know what to do now. He had never said it to anyone either. He didn't know what it really felt like. He knew he liked Draco, a lot, but was it the feeling that people get married over?

"No one has ever told you 'I love you' before?" Draco whispered in return. "That's…" he cleared his throat. "Harry," he cupped Harry's face in between his palms, and Harry raised his hands to wrap around his wrists. "I _love_ you. I love you. _I _love you. _I _love _you_. I love _you_. I _love you_. _I love you, Harry, I love you, do you understand me?" _He punctuated this with a kiss_. "_I will tell you every day for as long as you'll let me, just so you never forget it. Ok?"

Harry wasn't even sure if he believed him. The Dursleys certainly didn't love him, and they were supposed to. How could Draco, who by all accounts had every reason not to even like him, love him? Did he even need it? He had convinced himself at a young age that he didn't to survive.

"Draco…I…I don't…" He couldn't string two thoughts together, much less come up with something to say. Just then, Draco's face came closer to him. He was still cupping Harry's face, meeting his eyes head on. He gave him plenty of time to back away, but Harry didn't move an inch. There was thick tension in the air, but Draco was an embodiment of calm. He really was so sweet.

Their kiss was the gentlest one they had ever had. It was inviting, calming, sweet, wholesome, safe, pleasant, lovely, skillful, and brilliant. It could have lasted several seconds but it also could have been several minutes. It was a timeless kiss, whose sentiment lasted long after they gently separated.

They were still connected through their eyes. Draco's had nothing but patience and understanding. "It's ok." He reminded Harry, and he realized that it would be. Draco really was ok with what had just happened. Was that what love was? Complete and utter acceptance?

He leaned forward, pulling Draco closer, and rested his head against his chest. Draco's heartbeat drummed in his ear and it was the most wonderful sound he had ever heard. They stayed like that for a long while, with Harry just soaking up all the comfort Draco was offering him.

Draco placed a kiss on the top of his head as he gently caressed his back. Harry finally looked up. "I'm sorry, that's never happened in front of anyone."

Draco ignored the first part of the sentence, and went on, "when else has it happened?"

Harry remained silent for a moment remembering. There were times in the cupboard when he was never more alone. It was the only place he was safe, however. "Just, whenever I was especially scared or worried about something. Draco, no one has ever said that to me, and I don't know how I feel. I know I like you, but I have no frame of reference for anything else. I'm sorry."

Draco didn't look upset or even surprised. "I already told you it's ok, Harry. Say it when you mean it and not a second before. There's no pressure, because I plan on being with you for a long time. As long as you'll have me." A warmth glowed inside him at Draco's words. It was nice, this being loved thing, he could definitely get used to it. He hugged Draco close to him, enjoying the feel of him.

"Sweetie, I just need to know," Draco said gently, "was it too much earlier? Was I pushing or something? I just need to know so I won't do it again."

Harry sighed. "Honestly…I'm not entirely sure. One minute, everything was great, and I was really enjoying it, then all of a sudden, it was too much, like you said. I'm not entirely sure what it was that set me off, I'm sorry." Even he knew that he was saying that too much.

"If you say 'I'm sorry' one more time I am going to hit you. Fair warning. Do you think it was because you felt me?"

Harry blushed. He knew exactly what Draco was referring to. "Draco! What a thing to say!" He avoided looking in his eyes again.

"I think that's what happened, Harry. I'm not upset, maybe it was just too soon for you? I thought it would be ok, but I'm sorry that it wasn't. I won't do it again until you explicitly tell me it's ok." He wound his fingers through strands of Harry's hair and kissed his forehead.

This was ridiculous. They had been dating for nearly a year, serious kissing should be alright at this point. Heat engulfed Harry's face again as he thought about how much of a loser this made him. If he didn't trust Draco, he'd think that he would spread Harry's unfortunate situation all over Hogwarts.

"Hey." Draco pulled him close again. "Harry does talking about sex make you uncomfortable?"

He was wrong, this was so much more embarrassing. He struggled for a moment to try and avoid Draco and he was released immediately, given enough space he didn't feel confined while a hand stayed connected to his shoulder. "I guess." It did, but it would be awful to admit this. Draco seemed to catch on to the full sentiment, however, and gave Harry a knowing look.

"Does the idea of sex make you uncomfortable?" Harry looked down, not bothering to answer as they both knew the answer to that question now. There was silence in the tiny cubicle, and Harry wondered if he should leave. "Lots of people feel that way, Harry," Draco finally said. "It's fine that you do. We'll just take this really slow, as slow as you want, and if anything we do ever makes you uncomfortable, then all you have to do is say something and it stops. Sound good, sweetheart?"

Harry nodded, too overcome to speak. Draco released a breath and kissed his forehead again. When he went to pull away, Harry grabbed his face roughly and kissed him with all the emotions he couldn't put forth into words. Gratitude, for no one had ever treated him so sweetly. Tenderness, for his gentle handling of him. Affection, for all that Draco was. There was more, but Harry was not great at deciphering his own emotions.

Draco moaned into Harry's mouth and Harry took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. He was determined to show Draco that he wasn't a total freak. Draco must have caught on to what he was doing, however, and pulled back.

They were both panting again. "I love you, Harry. I think it is time we get back to our compartments. Our friends will be wondering where we've been." Harry nodded, slightly disappointed.

Hermione asked what took him so long the moment he opened the compartment door. Ron snickered before Harry could answer and Harry blushed red for the hundredth time. "I ran into some friends and we talked for a bit." That was true, even if they did do other stuff too. "Has anyone else been by?" They got visitors on occasion. Neville had been by while Harry was gone but no one else.

The rest of the train ride and journey to Hogwarts passed normally enough, except it was pouring rain this year. Taking advantage, Peeves had brought water balloons into the equation. Hermione employed a drying charm as they took their seats at the Gryffindor table.

Harry looked around the room. Most of the students were taking the time to dry themselves off before they sat down, so the Hall was bustling with movement. Draco seemed to be holding court over at the Slytherin table, and Harry wondered what was so important he needed to say the second they got to school. He caught Draco's eye for a second and he winked condescendingly. Harry had forgotten to ask what it was that was happening at Hogwarts this year that Draco apparently knew about.

He found out during the announcements. Hogwarts was to participate in a Tri-wizard tournament. Harry glanced at Draco during the explanation of what exactly that was, and Draco inclined his head while raising his eyebrows, looking suitably impressed.

Harry was excited for this tournament. He didn't really want to enter, so he was indifferent when it was announced that there would be an age line preventing anyone under the age of 17 to enter. He was, however, excited that he wouldn't be the center of attention this year. With a tournament happening and 3 champions to soak up all the attention of the school, he would have a nice, easy year relaxing and watching the poor souls go up against whatever dangerous perils he would be avoiding. This year was shaping up to be the best year yet.

A week later, he received a strange package in the mail. He was glad he opened the letter first. It said to wait until he was alone to open the package. Harry recognized the writing as Draco's, but he couldn't guess what he could possibly be sending him.

He found out later that night when he went to bed early. It was a book that read _A Brief History of Theory of Early Magics_ and one that read _Dealing with Anxiety._ Harry couldn't fathom why Draco would be sending him the first book, but it seemed like it might be a little interesting. As for the second, he couldn't help but be embarrassed that Draco thought it necessary to give him something like that.

It wasn't. Flipping through the pages, he took out a couple sentences and could barely string them together. It was the most boring thing he had ever read. Turning to the letter that was on the inside of the package, he settled down in his bed.

_Sweetheart,_

_I told you that everything was ok, and I wasn't lying. I just thought that these books would help you with your difficulties with intimacy, and I figured no one had bothered to give you something like The Young Wizard's Guide. You're wondering how it'll help? Just tap the book with your wand. It's enchanted to display something so boring you wouldn't want to read it even if there weren't mild charms to dissuade reading when it's not in its original form. It's similar to the enchantments we put on our letters to make it look like they are from someone else. Just remember to tap it again when you're done reading, so no one reads it. This book is the same one my Father gave to me, it's the go-to book for young wizards about relationships. It's great because there's an edition for different sexualities. I got you the bisexual one, just so you'd have everything in one place. I took some liberties here, and I'm assuming that no one has given you an honest and open Talk before, so I hope this helps. If I'm wrong, I'm really sorry, and we can just forget this ever happened. All I want is for you to be happy and comfortable when we're together. Again, if I'm overstepping here, I'm sorry. I can't wait to see you again._

_I love you,_

_Draco_

Harry was floored. On the one hand, he was embarrassed and that brought forth some self-righteous anger. On the other hand, he was truly touched that Draco would go through so much effort just for Harry's comfort.

Stealing himself, he tapped his wand against the cover of the book and the letters magically rearranged themselves until they reformed into _The Young Wizards Guide to Intimacy_. Harry could feel his face heating up already.

Gingerly, he opened it up to a random page. Then, after reading two sentences, Harry couldn't read anymore. He slammed the book shut and tapped it before he buried it in the bottom of his trunk. The one on anxiety actually was helpful, he read the first chapter before attempting to fall asleep.

He didn't sleep well that night. He kept tossing and turning with the passage from the _Wizard's Guide_ burned into his retinas. He wasn't sure what his problem was exactly. He had discovered masturbating already and was fine with that. It was just when there was another person with him that he had trouble.

Knowing that he wasn't going to get back to sleep anytime soon after a particularly strange nightmare, Harry gathered up his Gryffindor courage and dug the book out of his trunk. The symphony of snores around him masked any noise he made, but he renewed the silencing charm around his bed he cast every night as he climbed into it again.

Stealing himself he started at the beginning with the foreword.

_Thank you for purchasing this book. I hope that with it you will learn all the intricacies that comes from being in a relationship, having an intimate relationship with another person, and having a relationship with yourself. It is most important to remember that when you are with another person that you are just as important as the witch or wizard that you are with. I hope that you will learn many lessons from this educational book, but if there is one thing that you take away, let it be that love has many forms, many structures, many windows. It is free in a way nothing else is. Let the love that you have for yourself come first and all else will fall into place._

It really was an interesting book. It was designed to ease the reader into it, and Harry appreciated that. The further he read, the more he realized that this book really was helping his problem. There was a chapter dedicated to different issues with intimacy. He learned that he was afraid of being intimate with another person, not just Draco. It was a rather common problem for young wizards about to enter a relationship for the first time. It didn't mean that there was anything wrong with him, which he had feared. It was strange, just knowing all these things made a sense of calmness come over him. He felt like this was just a little problem that had a solution.

He read until his eyes began to droop, which didn't take long. Remembering to tap the book until it became boring again, he placed it in his trunk and finally went to sleep.

Classes were gearing up to be difficult, as if the teachers were trying to make up for all the time the students wasted over the summer. One of the better teachers turned out to be Moody, despite his strange disposition.

That's what Harry thought, at least until what came to be known as 'The Ferret Incident.' Several times a week, Draco would do something to mess with Harry. Mostly, it was a couple harmless words, Harry would retaliate, and they would all move on with their day. Harry had convinced Draco to lay off of Ron and Hermione a bit to help keep the peace between the two of them.

Despite that, Draco called out "Weasley!" as they were exiting the Great Hall one morning. He was holding that morning's Daily Prophet.

The trio stopped and turned towards Malfoy, tensing as they did. "Your dad's in the paper, Weasley!" Malfoy exclaimed. He was Malfoy with that cruel mask in place. "Listen to this!" He went on to quote the entire article, which was talking about a mistaken alarm raised by "Mad-Eye Moody" and answered by Mr. Weasley.

Harry was infuriated that Draco would bring the Weasleys specifically into their fights. In the past it had been vague, but this was too explicit.

"And there's a picture, Weasley!" said Malfoy, holding it up so the gathering crowd could see. "A picture of your parents outside their house—if you can call it a house! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn't she?"

That was under the belt. Ron was shaking with fury. Harry and Hermione both grabbed his arms to prevent him from pummeling Malfoy.

"Get stuffed, Malfoy," Harry said. "C'mon, Ron…"

"Oh yeah, you were staying with them this summer, weren't you, Potter? So, tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?" His trademark sneer was in place, and it set something off in Harry.

"You know _your_ mother, Malfoy?" asked Harry, and he could see when Draco realized how upset Harry really was. "That expression he's got, like she's got dung under her nose? Has he always looked like that, or was it just because you were with her?"

Malfoy flushed in anger. "Don't you dare insult my mother, Potter." He said dangerously. At his anger, Harry felt his start to melt away. It was still simmering, but he was already regretting his insult. It was against the rules, after all.

"Keep your fat mouth shut, then," Harry spat half-heartedly. Sometimes this secret relationship thing was really straining. He wished that they could be honest, they could be holding hands, walking to class together right now if it weren't for Draco's father.

He turned, pulling Ron along with him for several feet before there was a resounding BANG that reverberated throughout the entrance hall. Moody appeared as Harry turned, just in time to see a large white rodent start to escape through the crowd.

"OH NO YOUU DON'T, LADDIE!" Moody bellowed, and the white ferret zoomed back to the center of the large ring the crowd formed. "Did he get you?"

"What?" Harry couldn't think. Where had Draco gone? He wasn't… Oh but where else could he be? Harry felt sick. There was nothing he could do, Draco wouldn't want him saying something, but if Moody didn't turn him back soon…

"I don't think so!" Moody was roaring, and his wand was pointing to the ferret, and the ferret was suddenly ten feet in the air. "I don't like people who attack when their opponent's back's turned," growled Moody as the ferret bounced higher and higher, small squeals of pain being emitted. That was the last straw.

"Stop it!" He was yelling. When had he gotten his wand out? He didn't do anything with it, but he was yelling at Moody and he figured he at least looked a little intimidating.

Moody turned his face, glaring at Harry now, both eyes focused intently on him. He was still bouncing the ferret without looking, and Harry opened his mouth to cast a spell, any spell, when "Professor Moody!" could be heard over the laughter the horror circle was crying out.

It was McGonagall, coming down the marble staircase with her arms full of books. Harry felt hope blossom in his chest. Surely, she would do something. "What—what are you doing?" her face seemed to drain any color it had had.

"Teaching," said Moody, perfectly calmly.

"Professor!" Harry shouted, completely the opposite. "Stop him!"

"Teaching? Moody—_is that a STUDENT?"_

"Yep," said Moody, still perfectly calm.

"No!" McGonagall returned, and a second later, Draco Malfoy was sitting on the floor, his face bright pink, wincing in pain. Harry wanted nothing more than to go to him, throw himself down on the floor so no more harm could come to him. He stood rooted to the floor, because he knew if he moved, he would be hugging Draco within moments. He looked so pitiful, sitting there on the ground with tears in his eyes, trying hard to look dignified. Harry felt a rush of affection travel to his stomach and settle there, warming him from the inside out.

Draco met his eye from beneath his, for once, messy fringe. Harry could feel his heart breaking. His desire to go to him rose. Draco bit his lip as he looked down, and Harry's heart split in two.

Moody and McGonagall had apparently had a full conversation and now Moody was limping towards Draco.

"Potter." Harry's eyes snapped to McGonagall, who had spoken. "Are you alright?" she asked softly, leaning a little closer.

Harry nodded jerkily that probably disproved his statement more than reassured. Nonetheless, she nodded as well and turned to accompany Draco and Moody, who were walking towards the Dungeons. "One moment, Moody," she called as she hurried away.

"Where are they going?" Harry asked slightly panicked. If McGonagall wasn't following them, he would be.

"Didn't you hear?" Hermione asked. "They're going to go talk to Snape. Personally, I think he's been punished enough."

"What's wrong with you two?" Ron demanded. "That was brilliant! Bloody brilliant, and you're ruining it!"

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed. "That was just cruel! Did you see he was crying? He could have been badly injured."

"But that's the best part!" Ron got two glares for that, and Harry felt like storming off. Draco probably did need to go to the hospital wing. He spent the rest of the day worrying and felt relieved when he saw Draco later in the day. He was suitably dignified, prim and proper with a sneer in place, slightly louder than usual to soak up his lost pride.

He didn't have to wait long in their special room before Draco showed up. Harry ran to him and buried him in a hug. He paused when Draco did nothing but tense up.

"Oh god," Harry gasped. "You're not still hurt, are you? Did I hurt you? Come sit down."

"I'm fine," Draco said tensely. He extracted himself from Harry's grasp and went to go sit in his armchair. Harry followed hesitatingly.

"That was completely wrong." Harry said, settling into his own chair. "I can't believe Moody did that to you."

Draco snorted. "I'm perfectly fine, Harry. No worse for wear. And I certainly have reason to have Moody dismissed over this."

Harry ignored that. "Still, I was so worried about you. All I wanted to do is hold you. I could barely stop myself."

At that, Draco seemed to melt a little. His steel grey eyes turned closer to silver, and he held his arms out, uncrossing his legs. "Come here." He said softly.

Harry wasted no time with climbing up on his lap. He turned sideways so he could see Draco and put an arm behind his shoulder. Draco stared at his face while he was adjusting, then tilted his head up when he settled. Harry bent to kiss him slowly, hoping to put all his feelings into it.

When they separated, Harry whispered, "Are you sure you're ok, Baby?" Draco glared at the name but nodded.

"We need to talk about what happened before that, though."

"Oh." Harry had completely forgot about the fight. It was a fight, not an argument, and it wasn't a typical encounter. "Right."

Draco sighed. "I was really disappointed when you broke our rule."

Harry felt some of the anger he had felt before return. "I wouldn't have done it if you hadn't brought Mrs. Weasley into it."

Draco frowned. "That's not against one of the rules though."

"It should be. I couldn't believe you were so cruel. What was that?"

Draco's face drained of anger, he suddenly looked very tired. His head moved forward, and he rested his forehead against Harry's shoulder. Harry ran his fingers up and down Draco's exposed back gently. It took several minutes but Draco finally spoke up. "I got a letter from home. My father was displeased about something that happened over the Holidays, that he is still bringing up in every letter. Then I got the Prophet, and Weasley's parents just looked so _nice,_ and I just got o jealous. He gets to have a loving, happy family and all he ever does is complain about them. His parents are proud of him just for existing. He gets to be with you whenever you both want. He doesn't have to worry about anything, and I'm so tired of hearing him complain." Harry stayed silent as they both digested that. He waited, and finally, "I'm sorry."

Harry leaned forward to kiss Draco's forehead, as Draco had done to him several times. "I'm sorry, too." Harry whispered. "I should have never brought up your mum. What I said was awful, and it's not true." Draco pulled his face up to meet Harry's eyes. "It was mostly true though. That look rarely leaves her face. Like she is better than everyone and everything."

"Oh."

"Yeah." They stayed silent for a while then Draco suddenly burst out, "I just don't get it. It's not fair how they treat me. Weasley's a pureblood too, but he doesn't have to go through any of the stuff I have to go through. We're not so different, why does he always have it so good?"

Harry bit his lip. "I'm jealous of him too. I get it. It's like… he has no clue how lucky he is, and I just want to hit him over the head to get it through his thick skull: your family is brilliant, and you don't get to bemoan them unless your family is nonexistent. Or cruel." He added. They had danced around the issue of their families before but only some superficial stuff.

"Draco, what's your family like?" Draco's eyebrows lifted.

"Cold. Emotionless. Detached. Artificial. Impassive." They were quiet again for a while, Harry's hand still making its way up and down Draco's back. Draco sighed. "Harry. I don't think they like me. I think they love me in a way that all parents love their children, but they seem to be really embarrassed of me. Whenever we go out, there are a certain set of rules that have to be followed. If I don't follow them, I am punished. Inside the manor, things are a little different. They will still talk to me, and ask me questions about my life, but it's like they're doing it because they have to, not that they want to. Like they have to force themselves to care."

There was silence for a while. Then Harry started. "My relatives hate me. They literally hate me. They have told me so several times. They make disparaging comments all the time, and they have implied that they wish I was dead, that I had never come to stay with them in the first place. I wish I hadn't either. Draco, I am so alone when I'm there. I hate being there and I hate them."

Draco held him close. Harry wrapped his other arm around Draco's neck and held on. It was hard saying all that, but he was glad he was with someone who at least partially understood what he meant.

"What happened over the summer?" He finally asked.

Draco hummed. "My mother and I go to this spa resort in France every summer, we have since I was a child. I've always loved being pampered and relaxing, it's a really special thing my mother and I share, it's the only quality time we really spend together. This summer, my father got it into his head that it's not appropriate for a boy my age, his only heir, to go to a spa with his 'mummy.' We all had a bit of a row over it, and things were pretty tense for the rest of the summer. He keeps bringing up how much of a disappointment I am in his letters."

Harry frowned, feeling his heart twist over Draco's plight. "I'm so sorry, Baby. I wish there was something I could do."

Draco stayed quiet for a moment. "You can hold me." Harry did so.

Harry really didn't like Moody. As if hurting his boyfriend hadn't been enough, he decided to torture Harry further by teaching the class about the Unforgivable Curses. It had been bad enough seeing the curse that killed his parents in person, and after that he had recurring nightmares where various people he knew died in a mass of green light. One that seemed to be very popular in his head was the one where everyone he even remotely cared about blamed him for their death before dying.

He talked to Draco about it when he asked why he looked so tired. That did help a little, and he didn't have that particular nightmare for a while.

Moody also put him and the rest of the class under the Imperius curse, which allowed the caster to control the victim. He put Harry under a total of four times, until Harry could throw off the curse completely. He was the only one that managed it in the school.

A sense of excitement took the school over when it came closer for the time of the tournament to start. Conversations were mostly split between the tournament itself and the visiting schools of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang.

Before anyone knew it, the impartial judge that would choose the champions was revealed to be the Goblet of Fire, various sixth and seventh years were entering, and it was time for the champions to be selected.

The anticipation was thick in the air as the Goblet made its final decision. It turned from a whiteish-blue to searing scarlet and wisps of flame spat out a seared piece of parchment.

"The Champion for Durmstrang," Dumbledore announced after a skillful pause for suspense, "is Viktor Krum!" The Great Hall erupted into applause as a figure from the Slytherin table got up and walked to a door to the side of the Teacher's Table.

The Goblet, which had returned to whiteish-blue, turned red again and spat out another name on parchment.

"The Champion for Beauxbatons," Dumbledore again paused to build the suspense to an unbearable level, "is Fleur Delacour!" Cheers came mostly from the Ravenclaw Table this time, although Harry could see several girls crying dramatically.

It took less than a minute for the Goblet to move on to the next name, and then Dumbledore was calling out, "Cedric Diggory!" and the Hufflepuff table exploded with noise. The Hufflepuffs were stomping their feet, banging the table, and slapping Cedric on the back.

Harry, and several other Gryffindors, put hands over their ears to block out the defeating sound. Harry was still grinning, however. Cedric was a good guy, even if he had beaten Harry in a bid for the Golden Snitch in a quidditch game last year. He figured Cedric was as good a champion as any for Hogwarts, and he honestly felt like Hufflepuff could use a win. They tended to be left out, with Gryffindors getting attention for being brave and noble, Ravenclaws for being intelligent and wise, and Slytherins for being cunning and ambitious. Hufflepuffs were a group of everyone else, and while that was just fine, they didn't have crowning achievements like the other houses.

Besides, if they were going to have to watch a champion all year, the champion might as well be good looking.

"Yes, yes," Dumbledore called out. "Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real—" He stopped, and everyone could see why. The Goblet, which had returned to white-blue during his speech, had once again turned red. Collectively, the students and teachers leaned forward in fascination.

Was this supposed to happen?

When a piece of parchment fluttered out, the Hall as one took a gasping breath and held it. Dumbledore stared at the note for several moments and the tension was thicker than it had been before any of the other names had been called. After several long seconds, Dumbledore's eyes moved upwards and to the Gryffindor table, landing on Harry, and Harry felt his stomach drop, knowing exactly what Dumbledore was going to say.

"Harry Potter."

Harry sat frozen. He couldn't move if he wanted to. There was a buzzing around his ears and he had no idea what it was.

"Harry Potter." Dumbledore repeated, giving no indication of how he was feeling. "Harry, up here please."

Someone gave him a shove, and Harry was standing. Another shove, and he was moving forward. He was really stunned, and he had no idea what to do. He felt numb.

He entered the door all the other Champions had and couldn't answer their questions. He was too shocked, he was still coming to terms with what had happened in the Hall.

"Extraordinary!" Bagman exclaimed as he entered the room. "Absolutely extraordinary! Gentlemen, lady, may I introduce – incredible though it may seem—the _fourth_ Triwizard champion?" At that, Harry felt what little bit of hope he had left leave him. He really would have to compete, then?

This tournament had killed people before. He could die. In front of the whole school. _Why do you have to do this_ a little voice in his head, that sounded mysteriously like Draco, said. _You didn't enter, you're under no obligation. They can't force you, stand up for yourself. If my father hears about this…_ He snorted, taking the hysterical amusement where he could get it.

Fleur Delacour gave him a disgusted look. "'Ou can no' possibly expec' zis leetle boy to compete!"

Harry glared. _Little Boy?_

Before he could say anything, an almost one-sided argument broke out amongst the adults that had entered the room. "He cannot possibly compete" seemed to be the main theme. Since that was the general consensus, Harry stayed out of it. As long as he wasn't competing, he was happy.

Bagman seemed to be the only person who was happy with this outcome, defending that whoever's name came out had to compete. When Mr. Crouch was asked, he said, "we must follow the rules, and the rules state clearly that those people whose names come out of the Goblet of Fire are bound to compete in the tournament."

"But I didn't enter!" Harry finally burst out, when that appeared to be the end of it. "I don't want to compete, and you can't make me do something I didn't sign up for!" There was ultimate silence at his words. Harry matched his words with a glare, hoping that them being shut up was a good thing.

"Harry," Dumbledore finally said gently, "are you saying that you did not put your name into the Goblet of Fire?"

"Yes!"

"And you did not ask an older student to do it for you?"

"I did not." He calmed down a little, seeing as how they appeared to be getting the picture at this point.

"Your name was placed into the Goblet without your knowledge or consent?"

"Yes!" Hadn't he already said that? Then he realized Dumbledore hadn't been asking because he didn't believe Harry. He was asking to convince the people who thought he had put his name in the Goblet. Cedric, Crouch, McGonagall and Bagman were all giving him appraising looks as if they were nearly convinced. Fleur, Madam Maxime, and Karkaroff looked like they needed more convincing but were at least surprised Harry wasn't bragging. Snape and Krum were scowling, nothing novel.

"Of course, 'e would zay so!" Fleur snapped after a moment. "'E does not wish 'o geet in 'rouble!"

"Are you calling me a liar?" Harry was angry now. He didn't want to compete, and he shouldn't have to prove it to some cheese-eating surrender monkey.

"Vell, if ze Dragon- 'ide gloves fit…" Harry took a step closer to her, ready to tear her a new one, but Dumbledore held out his arm.

"I believe Harry." He said simply. Harry felt some of his anger dissipate at his words. "That does not, however, change the fact that your name came out of the Goblet of Fire, Harry."

Harry was confused now, what did it matter if it did if he didn't consent to it? He didn't know much about the law in the magical world, nor the muggle world, but he did know from Draco that magical contracts needed to have the consent of the participants or the magic wouldn't work. As he stared at Dumbledore, he realized that might not be the case here.

"But I don't want to compete!" Had he not made that clear?

"Ah, but the rules clearly state that it's 'whose name comes out.' Not whose name who has placed it in. I suppose this is a flaw in the magic of the Tournament that hasn't been discovered yet. Regardless, I fear you will have to compete, Harry."

"What happens if I don't?" There were several scoffs across the room. Harry was rather touched when McGonagall slapped Snape across the back.

"Sorry, Severus, I thought you were choking." She said crossly when he turned to glare.

Harry let a small smile cut into his face, but it quickly vanished at Dumbledore's next words. "I'm sorry, Harry." He said quietly, and Harry was astonished that his clear blue eyes seemed to be filling with tears. "It is a binding magical contract. You could lose your magic."

At that, the mood in the room plummeted. Harry felt his insides grow cold. There was no way he was losing his magic. He would do anything to keep it, including competing in a death tournament.

"Perhaps that's exactly what they're hoping for." Harry hadn't noticed Moody in the corner. When had he entered the room?

"Just who is this 'they'?" Karkaroff demanded angrily.

Moody's wooden leg echoed around the room as he came closer to the group. "'They' are whoever actually did put Potter's name in the Goblet. 'They' are the person or people who performed complex magical enchantment on the Goblet, tricking it into thinking that it had to pick four names, not three; well beyond what Potter here, or any student, is capable of. 'They' is whoever has a plan that will likely result in Potter either losing his life or his magic."

The silence was deafening after Moody's pronouncement.

"Someone tricked the Goblet?" Crouch asked.

"Yes. There's residual magic all over it. See for yourself."

Crouch nodded and left the room.

"But, 'hoo would want to keel 'im?" Fleur asked, she was looking rather pale now and Harry felt vindicated.

"Voldemort." Harry and Moody answered together. There were flinches around the room. Harry was mildly surprised even the foreigners were wincing. Apparently, Voldemort was feared in other countries as well.

"He is dead!" Karkaroff exclaimed. "Potter killed him."

Harry turned, glaring, opening his mouth, but Moody beat him to it.

"Where's his body, then? You have proof he's dead, because no one else does. Very interested, I'd be, in any _insider_ information you have on ol' Voldemorty, Karkaroff."

Harry stared at Moody. _Voldemorty?_

"'E iz alive?" Madam Maxime whispered. She clutched Fleur a little closer to her.

"In a manner of speaking."

"That is enough." Dumbledore said, and his voice was solid as steel, brokering no argument. "It is getting late, and I'm sure the students have parties to attend to. Harry, Cedric, congratulations on being chosen. Despite any complications, it is an honor to have been chosen. The First Task will be held on November twenty-fourth. Barty?"

Crouch had just entered the room again and came forth. "The first task is designed to test your daring. So, we are not going to be telling you what it is. Courage in the face of the unknown is an important quality in a wizard… very important…" He paused, as if lost in thought, then shook himself out of it. "The champions are not permitted to ask for or accept help of any kind from their teachers to complete the tasks in the tournament. The champions will face the first challenge armed only with their wands. They will receive information about the second task when the first is over. Owing to the demanding and time-consuming nature of the tournament, the champions are exempted from end-of-year tests. I think that's all, isn't it, Albus?"

Dumbledore nodded, and dismissed them.

Harry left the room slowly, happening to be next to Cedric. He was lost in his thoughts, so he startled when Cedric spoke.

"You really didn't enter then?" Harry looked him in the eye.

"No. I really didn't." They walked a couple more feet in silence.

"I'm sorry. I thought all this time what a great honor it is, but I can't imagine being forced to compete. People have died, you know?" Cedric gasped after he said that. "I shouldn't have said anything. Just, anyway, I wanted to offer, I know they said we couldn't get help from teachers, but if you need to talk to anyone, you can come find me, alright?"

Cedric held out his hand, and Harry shook it after a moment. "Don't worry about me. I'm used to people trying to kill me." He did love the shock value when he surprised people. That one always got them. Cedric was nearly choking on his saliva.

"Yes, well, I had heard rumors. Um, where are you going?" He asked, trying to change the subject, apparently.

Harry looked around. He was in the Dungeons, heading towards his and Draco's meeting room. They didn't have a scheduled meet up planned, but he really wanted to talk to Draco, and he had a feeling he was here. That wasn't something he needed to tell Cedric, however.

"Er, I like the dungeons. For going on a walk. There're so many places to go, you know? Just wanted some quiet before I go up to Gryffindor." Cedric nodded, not looking convinced, but Harry didn't blame him, that was a mediocre excuse. They came to a fork in the halls and each chose one.

Draco was indeed in there, pacing, and Harry felt a rush of affection and warmth for him at the sight. The second Draco saw him, he was racing towards Harry, and threw his arms around him the moment they were close enough. Harry sighed, and let the tension that had been tensing his muscles leave him. Draco was like taking a warm bath sometimes. He relaxed and calmed Harry, washed the stressed of the day off, and made him feel clean. Well, there was a reason it was only sometimes; he made Harry feel plenty dirty on occasion.

"I was so worried about you," Draco whispered into Harry's neck. It was so nice to have someone worrying about him. "What took so long for you to get here? Did you give 'em a piece of your mind for wasting your time?" Harry could see his thought process.

"I have to compete, Draco." Horror sprang across Draco's face as he forcibly separated his face from Harry's shoulder to see if Harry was having a go at him.

"What? No, that's not. No. I know you didn't enter, Harry, any moron could see that just looking at you. If you didn't enter you didn't give magical consent and they can't make you fulfill the components of the contract. That's basic Wizarding Law."

"Apparently it doesn't matter. Maybe the magic is so old it predates the laws? I don't know. But I have to compete, or my magic gets taken away."

"No!" Draco put his hands over his mouth, "tell me you're lying. Or having me on. I can't…"

Harry pulled him into another hug, swaying him gently back and forth. It was funny, not really, but seeing Draco completely panic was actually helping him calm down. It was also wonderful having an advocate that truly cared about _his_ wellbeing, especially after that meeting. Another year, another plot to kill him. That was how life at Hogwarts was.

**A/N: Thank you for reading, and reviewing, if you have, I certainly appreciate it. **


	5. Year 4 Part II

**A/N: For those of you who don't know, a 'lobule' is part of the outer ear, the dangle-y part at the bottom. Think where most people get their ears pierced. **

* * *

Harry didn't stay long with Draco. He wanted to, but it was getting close to curfew, and he wanted to talk to Ron and Hermione. That ended up not happening as there was a gigantic party in his honor being held in the Common Room. He was given a seat of honor, a butterbeer, a party hat, and a giant Gryffindor banner as he was entertained by various Gryffindors. He didn't see Hermione at all that night, but he did shake the hand of what felt like every Gryffindor. He would have enjoyed himself thoroughly if anyone had been willing to listen to him when he said he hadn't entered himself in the tournament.

He finally managed to make it upstairs to some relative peace and quiet, where he found Ron curled up on his bed, reading a magazine.

"Finally," Harry said. "I'm all for parties, but that was just out of control. And no one wanted to hear that I didn't put my name in the goblet, can you believe that?"

Ron snorted. Harry stared. He had started pulling his robes off but halted in the action. Ron was acting very strange. He was not looking at Harry very pointedly, with a scowl across his face. "What's wrong?" Harry asked.

Ron snorted again. "Oh, nothing. Just wondering when my _friend_ will confide in me that's all."

"What? Who's not confiding in you?"

"You aren't, you tosser. You never tell me anything! Would it have killed you to let me enter too? And now you're lying about it. Git."

Harry gaped. "I'm not lying! Moody thinks someone entered me to get me killed! Does that sound like something that is fun to you?" He was tired of repeating himself to everyone.

Yet again, Ron snorted. "Right. Like there aren't easier ways of killing you. That man is so paranoid he should come with a straight jacket."

"Maybe. But I'm not counting on that. Someone has tried to kill me every year since I've been here. I just wanted one year where it could be someone else, is that really too much to ask?"

"Whatever. Why don't you go cry about it to your pen pal? Maybe you'll be a better friend to him than you are to me."

Harry felt cold horror eclipse him. Was he a bad friend? "I'm not a bad friend!"

"Yeah, you are, and I'm done trying with you. Go cry to your mysterious pen pal you won't tell me anything about because I'm not listening to it anymore."

With that, he shut his bed hangings, and all was quiet. Harry kicked his trunk and hopped up and down when it hurt.

Hermione at least split her time between him and Ron. He would have preferred for her to just pick a side and stick with it. He understood that she didn't want to lose a friend, however. It really sucked balls.

He had a few friends in other houses that he hung out with on occasion, but they didn't seem to think he didn't put his name in the Goblet[ML1] . The Hufflepuffs refused to so much as speak to him. Of course, he couldn't hang out with Draco, who had taken it upon himself to publicly humiliate Harry. He told Harry that it could definitely be worse and made it up in private. All in all, it was the loneliest time he had ever had at Hogwarts. At least during second year no one jeered at him, and he had Ron and Hermione then too.

During the Hogsmeade visit, Harry and Draco were having another date. Draco sat alone at their table, seemingly, with Harry under his invisibility cloak to avoid having to be seen. Being seen with Draco was a secondary goal in his opinion.

He was seen, however. Hagrid was just leaving with Professor Moody when he tapped Hagrid on the shoulder and the two made a beeline for their table. "How's that essay comin', Malfoy?" Hagrid said loudly, bending down towards the table.

"Nice cloak, Potter," Moody whispered to him.

"You can see me?" Harry asked slightly horrified. Moody's smile stretched his face.

"Yep."

"Harry," Hagrid whispered, looking somewhere past Harry. "Meet me tonight at me cabin, go' some 'in' to show yeh."

With that, they straightened and left.

"What do you think the Brute has to show you?" Draco asked after the door had swung shut behind them.

"Why do you insist on insulting absolutely everyone?"

"Well it would be _rude_ if I left people out."

Harry covered his mouth with his hand to prevent his laughter from escaping too loudly. After several years, he finally understood Draco's humor. He constantly made nicknames, made derogatory remarks, generally poking fun at anyone and everyone. But it all was done in good fun, if it had been a good friend saying what Draco said, it would be counted as general teasing. Draco was simply snarky and sarcastic, and Harry found it charming rather than hostile as he had his first year.

"I don't know, but I hope it doesn't take long, I have the Sirius thing at one." Sirius had indeed contacted him to be in the Gryffindor Common Room at one AM that night.

"That's right. I wonder why he wants you to be there. He wouldn't be stupid enough to Floo or apparate."

"Yeah," Harry laughed then cut himself off. Would Sirius be that stupid?

He was gripped with a sense of worry for the rest of the day that even Draco had trouble distracting.

His fear hadn't left him by the time he ran to the common room panting and leaned back against the portrait panting. He had just been to see Hagrid and had run the entire way back after he learned what the first task was. _Dragons._ The first task was dragons. Apparently, there was one for each of the champions to…. well he wasn't sure about that part, but every idea he had was just as daunting as the last. How was he supposed to survive against dragons?

He went to go sit in his favorite chair by the fire. He couldn't believe how awful his life was right now. He had lost several friends, including his best friend, everyone else was taking every opportunity to taunt him, he was being thought of as a liar or an attention-seeking prat, and to top it all off, he was still having intimacy issues with Draco. Being with him was wonderful, and he enjoyed everything that they did together, physical or not, but every now and then, he recoiled and he hadn't quite worked out what the issue was, although the book Draco had gotten him was definitely helping. Draco was always understanding and seemed to know whether to give him space or hold him close. Harry was hard on himself, however.

He just couldn't wrap his mind around doing _things_ with each other. He had bravely ventured further into the book Draco had gotten him and was now aware of many acts that they could be doing together. Each time he thought about them he had a strange, warm, sick, constricting feeling in his stomach. He really was scared of being with someone in that way. He was really glad he wouldn't have to face a boggart because he really didn't want to see a naked Draco trying to attack him. At least, that's how he figured the fear would materialize.

He chuckled lowly, despite himself. It was a funny thought even if it was a fear of his.

"Harry!" A voice called to him from right in front of him. He startled, then blinked hard, trying to rationalize what he was seeing. Sirius's head was in the fireplace.

"Sirius?" He asked, leaning forward to sit on the carpet in front of him.

"How are you doing, Pup?" He asked with the most sympathetic look on his face.

Harry sighed in relief. Someone actually cared about what was happening to him. "How much time do you have?" he asked.

Sirius smiled compassionately, and said, "As long as you need, Pup."

* * *

"I know you can do this, Harry." Draco said for what seemed like the thousandth time. Harry sighed in defeat. They had been trying to do the summoning charm for several hours and he wasn't having much luck. Sirius had tried to give him advice on how to handle the dragons, but Ron had come down the stairs and interrupted them before he had a chance. Harry had been furious with him.

The next day, Harry told Cedric about the dragons and Moody overheard them. Instead of getting Harry into trouble, he gave Harry some advice about how to get past the dragon he would be assigned. That was how it led to Harry and Draco practicing the summoning charm Harry was going to use to get his Firebolt into the arena where he would fly past the dragon.

After another attempt in which a pillow flopped pathetically onto the floor, Harry sighed dejectedly and threw himself onto the couch they had brought in. He buried his face into another pillow and moaned into it.

"Alright, let's take a break," Draco said more brightly than Harry thought he had any business being. Harry moaned again into the pillow, then gasped as he felt Draco climb up then lay on top of him. He tried to control the panic he felt at being crushed into the cushions. After a couple seconds, the panic mostly drained out of him and he relaxed. This wasn't so bad. Draco wasn't excited, or heavy, and his weight was more comforting than restricting. He was also enjoying the pressure on his back. It was like a massage and it was destroying the tension in his body. He felt himself melt into the couch, and he realized he was more relaxed than he could remember being.

"Is this ok?" Came a voice whispered into his ear. Harry shivered slightly at the air whipping against the shell of his ear, which was apparently pretty sensitive. He nodded and turned his head so his cheek was against the cushions and he could just barely see Draco out of the corner of his eye. Draco settled his head against Harry's, so they were nuzzling, and wrapped his arms under Harry so they were trapped.

"You feel relaxed," Draco mumbled. "I like that. You've been so tense lately." He freed one arm and rubbed it up and down Harry's and let out a breath. Harry let out a moan accidentally. The massage felt very nice and safe. He was nice and safe and warm in this little cocoon of cushion and Draco.

"Yeah," he said, a little hesitantly. It really did feel good now, but he had a feeling this was going to go in a direction he wouldn't like.

He couldn't feel _Draco_ yet, but if things continued, he probably would. Draco started kissing the back of his neck and Harry let out a low moan. Then, just as suddenly as things had started, they stopped. Draco laid his head against Harry's and they enjoyed the slow quiet of the room.

"I think we need music in here," Draco said lowly.

"That would be nice," Harry said. "I fixed an old radio of Dudley's and I really liked listening to it for a while, but then he noticed how happy it made me and destroyed it."

Draco growled low in his throat. He kissed as far over to Harry's mouth as he could reach without moving, paused for a moment, then continued kissing over Harry's face where he could reach. Harry hummed closed mouthed, this was nice too.

He started to relax back into the couch, and Draco started moving his slow sweet kisses further down towards his neck. He moved back his collar and Harry tensed. Draco paused, and when Harry didn't move further, continued kissing further down his neck, almost to his back.

Again, he relaxed and let Draco continue with his ministrations. Draco moved his arm to rub them up and down Harry's. Harry enjoyed that too, and whispered, "that's nice."

"Good. You're ok?" Harry blushed at the reminder that he was a freak who would sometimes panic at affection. He was on edge, he could feel that any minute he could easily start panicking and his heart would start racing, but at this moment, yes, he was ok and enjoying what was happening to him.

"For now. That feels nice," he whispered. Draco freed his other hand and started massaging his other arm.

"Am I heavy?" Draco asked.

"No." Harry returned. "You're perfect." He meant it too. Draco really was perfect exactly how he was. When they had first met, Harry knew that he could be a bit of a pain in the arse. He had, however either gotten much better or Harry had gotten used to his ways. He figured it was a combination of both.

Draco hummed in response, "so are you," he whispered, and started drawing his tongue up and down Harry's ear. Harry moaned lowly and shivered again. Draco moved on to sucking his lobule into his mouth and massaging the thin skin with his lips. Harry moaned again and squirmed slightly at the tickling sensation.

With Harry under him squirming around against him, Draco began to feel very interested in what was happening. He shifted hoping to hide his interest from Harry, but he felt the moment Harry felt him. They both froze within seconds from each other. Then, Harry started shaking.

Draco jumped up as if burned. A second later, he was hesitatingly putting his arm around Harry's shoulders, who had sat up and started hugging himself. They were quiet, the only sounds in the room Harry's panting.

"I'm sorry." Draco said quietly.

Harry's head snapped up. "No." He demanded, "don't be sorry. This is my fault, my problem. I'm the one who's sorry."

Draco shook his head. "No, Harry. We're a couple, and your problems are my problems."

Harry sighed and put his head on Draco's shoulder. "It's still my issue. I'm the one that's the freak."

He had said it quietly, but Draco obviously heard him. "Hey!" He tilted Harry's chin up until their eyes met, and Harry was embarrassed to realize his were a bit wet. It was just so humiliating and difficult.

"I don't ever want to hear you call yourself a freak again. You are not anywhere near a freak, and I know freaks, you aren't one. So, shut up about that." Harry chuckled wetly, and Draco leaned forward to kiss his forehead, right on his scar. "This really isn't as big of a deal as you are making it out to be, Harry. So, you panic a little. You're getting better, and I'm getting better at realizing your triggers. We're dealing with it and that's the important thing. I don't mind taking it slow and doing whatever needs to be done to make you comfortable."

Harry bit his lip, feeling more tears brimming at his eyes. He was not one to cry. With most kids, when they cried, things happened to make them feel better. They'd get hugs and kisses, their tears wiped away lovingly, but that never happened for Harry. Tears never accomplished anything besides getting further tormented, so he didn't cry.

He tried hiding his face from Draco, but he must have been tipped off by something, for he was tilting Harry's face up to meet him again. Harry waited for a sneer, a look of disgust, a harsh remark, but it never came. Instead, a corner of Draco's mouth turned upward, his eyes full of compassion, and something else Harry wasn't that familiar with. He moved his hand to cup Harry's cheek and used his thumb to wipe at Harry's right eye. For his left, he leaned forward to place a kiss, kissing the tear away.

Harry let out a strange noise like a choke, and Draco pulled him into a tight hug. "It's ok," he whispered. He repeated that and several other comforting words several times as he rubbed Harry's back. Even though they couldn't snog intensely the way other couples do, even though he still felt like there was something seriously wrong with him, even though he had more stress than any teenager in the school, it did feel like everything at least would be ok because Draco was with him, holding him, making sure he was ok. Draco loved him, and as hard as that was to accept, he was starting to really believe it.

They hugged for a long time, Harry soaking up the comfort like a sponge. When he pulled back, he was still feeling a little raw, but definitely much better. It was so incredible having someone to be there for him. He knew he'd never take it for granted.

"It's getting late, we should probably be getting back to our dorms." Harry said as he started to get up, but Draco pulled him back.

"Harry, I love you." He said. Harry sucked in air. "I know you're not ready to say it back yet, but does it hurt you if I say it?"

Harry thought about it. "No. I just don't want you feeling bad, because I really do like you, so much, more than I like anyone. I just—"

"I know. You don't have to explain, Sweetheart. I just feel like saying it sometimes, and I want to be able to. Is that alright with you?"

Harry smiled slowly and nodded, too overwhelmed to say anything. Draco smiled as well and pulled him close for another hug.

The dorm was empty when he went up, avoiding Ron in the common room, and just to see if it would work, he tried summoning the pillow from off his bed. With absolutely no trouble, the pillow zoomed into his hand, almost painful in its exuberance. He couldn't help but grin, however. He could feel the power from behind his wand and in the pillow. He knew, somehow, that he wouldn't have any more trouble with the charm.

He was right. The next morning, he showed Hermione, who had been training him more intensely than Draco had, that he could summon his broom from the lake to the doors to the entrance Hall. Once he had done it ten times, Hermione dubbed him ready for the task. He had been satisfied after the first time.

The morning of the First task dawned brightly, a vast contrast to Harry's mood. He was nervous and practically shaking in his nerves. Just like before a quidditch match, he was unable to eat until Hermione nearly had to shove it down his throat.

Long before he was ready, it was time to head down to the arena that had been set up for the task. On the way down, he ran into Draco, literally. "Watch where you're going, Scar Head." Draco spat, which, to Harry, meant "good luck, Sweetheart." Draco shoved something in his hand as they passed each other.

"Watch yourself, Ferret," Harry returned as he pocketed what felt like a piece of parchment. He waited until he was alone in the tent, several long minutes later, after Bagman had announced that the first task was retrieving the golden egg from a selected dragon and the other champions had all left to face their respective dragons, to read the parchment.

_Sweetheart,_

_I just wanted to wish you good luck. I know that you will kick some serious arse! I will definitely want to see you after this, if you can tear yourself away from your adoring fans. _

_I love you_

It wasn't signed, but then Harry knew exactly who it was from.

A strange sound had him looking up towards one of the walls of the tent curiously. He made his way over and heard another, "psst!" from behind the curtained wall. "Harry?" Hermione's voice wafted over again.

"Are you ok?" She whispered.

Harry swallowed and nodded. Realizing she couldn't see him, he croaked out a "yeah" that came out much deeper than he intended.

"You've got this," Hermione said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself of this just as much as Harry.

Harry nodded again, and before he knew what was happening, the curtained wall was separating, and he had a handful of Hermione, who had thrown her arms around him. Before he had fully understood what had happened, a bright light going off, temporarily blinding him.

"Wonderful!" Came the voice of one of the last people he wanted to hear from, Rita Skeeter. She was accompanied by her short photographer, who didn't look as bored as the last time he had seen him. Part of the tournament was the 'weighing of the wands' where a wand expert made sure the champions' wands were up to snuff. Rita Skeeter had been there and interviewed Harry for an entirely inaccurate article detailing how sad he was about his parents' deaths. "A lovers' warm embrace. Care to give a quote, Harry?"

"Not to you, no," Harry said, eyeing her quill with distance. Hermione glared, but kept her distance.

"Now, now, don't be like that, Harry. Why don't you tell me all about your lovely girlfriend here?"

Harry stepped in front of Hermione, hoping to protect her at least a little. "She's not my girlfriend. You don't have my permission to write anything about me or my personal life." That had been what Draco had told him to say if Skeeter accosted him again.

A very ugly look passed across Skeeter's face. She opened her mouth, but was drowned out by a loud whistle blowing, signaling that it was Harry's turn to compete. Harry had forgotten to be nervous the last couple minutes, but his stomach dropped at how imminent facing a dragon had become.

"Good luck," Hermione whispered, briefly placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Yes, Harry, good luck. I'll see you after the task!" Rita waved as Harry exited the tent. The second he was in the arena, he took a long deep breath, releasing some of the tension he was feeling. He could do this.

The task went well. Better than well. As terrible as things had been before the task, they quickly improved immediately afterward. The entire school was cheering him on, and he hadn't run into Rita Skeeter again. He was in the medical tent for a small cut when he heard arguing coming from the mouth of the tent.

A moment later, Ron and Hermione were entering, Hermione pushing Ron lightly.

Ron glared back before turning back to Harry. His body language was very standoffish. He refused to meet Harry's eyes. Harry could feel some of his euphoria from winning quickly draining from his body. All of a sudden, he was fatigued. He didn't care how this would go, but he was tired of fighting.

"Hey." Ron said simply, staring down at his shoes scuffing the floor.

"Hey?" Harry asked. "That's all you have to say?"

Ron was quiet for several seconds before taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry I called you a liar. After seeing you face a dragon, I've realized that there's no way that you would enter this stupid tournament. Hermione's been telling me how they made you compete, or you'd lose your magic, and I just wanted to say, well…I'm sorry."

Harry nodded. It had really hurt him when he and Ron had that fight, but it had hurt more when Ron had called off their friendship. There were two things he could do here. He could tell Ron to stuff it and get on with his life with the new friends he had made and save himself the stress that came with being Ron's friend. Or, he could forgive Ron.

"Alright." He said simply. Ron smiled, Hermione scoffed.

"Boys." She whispered. Harry and Ron ignored her.

"I'm still pissed at you though." Ron was suddenly serious again.

"What?"

"You still haven't been telling us about your life. I'm still angry about that. You've got to start telling us things, mate."

Harry's jaw dropped in surprise. He couldn't believe Ron was still on this.

"What, like you tell me every little thing that goes on with you?" His eyes moved to Hermione and back, Ron got the message by gasping, spluttering and finally straightening, his jaw setting.

"Yeah, well…that's different." Hermione cocked her head to the side, curious about the direction the conversation was going.

Ron and Harry ignored her. "It's not," Harry said. "I have as much right to privacy as anyone. Being my best mate doesn't excuse you from that."

Ron sighed, then slowly nodded his head. "I didn't like the last couple weeks. I just wish you would talk to us is all."

Harry felt his heart constrict. He did too. "I will when I'm ready." He promised himself as much as them. Ron and Hermione both brightened.

The tension in the castle was released in the aftermath of the first task before quickly rising again. The day after the first task, a horrid article came out about Harry and Hermione and their torrid love affair. Harry thought the evidence would have been shaky at best, but Skeeter had apparently found the note Draco had written to Harry. It was in a still picture directly below the one where Hermione threw her arms around Harry. All in all, together it was pretty damning.

There was a brief tense moment immediately after Ron finished the article where he became surly until Hermione said how rubbish it was. He lightened immediately.

"Harry," Hermione began slowly as she took a second look at the article. "I know most of this is utter Hippogriff manure, but… this note," she pointed to the picture, "that looks very real."

Harry sipped his pumpkin juice. He couldn't believe he was so stupid as to lose the note. He and Draco were so careful, normally spelling every piece of parchment and backtracking their steps so as to not get caught.

"Harry?" Hermione repeated. "Do you have a girlfriend? Is that where you disappear off to?"

Harry sighed. There was no way to get out of that one. "I don't have a girlfriend Hermione." He stressed several syllables, hoping she would take it as a warning not to ask further.

"Oh." Hermione said, eyebrows furrowed. "_Oh._ Ok, Harry." After that, she became very giggly whenever Harry said he was going for a walk or to go study. Harry didn't understand it at all.

Ron wasn't that curious about the note. He seemed to have adopted a 'don't ask' to Harry's 'don't tell' policy.

One good thing the article did was dissuade girls from talking to him. He had noticed that beginning this year, there were girls giggling everywhere. When the Ball was announced, the number seemed to double. He on-impulse said no to the first several that asked him to go with them. The problem was, there was only one person he would want to go with, and it was the one person he couldn't. At their first opportunity, they agreed to just find platonic dates and do something special afterwards.

Unfortunately, he couldn't see himself saying yes to any of the girls that asked him. They were just too, well, girly. He had figured out that he was indeed attracted to the female form as well as the male's, but he just couldn't see himself with anyone other than Draco.

It was just as he was about to give up on ever finding a date that he overheard a disheartening conversation.

"…but you simply can't go together." McGonagall was saying to two girls in Harry's year. "The Ball is very traditional, and it wouldn't do." When it looked like the girls were going to argue, she continued, "I'm sorry," but in a tone of voice that was clearly a dismissal. Harry paused to watch.

McGonagall walked away with her head held high, and as soon as she turned a corner, one of the girls buried her head on the other girl's shoulder and burst into tears. The other girl wrapped her arms around her and began swaying her side to side. Harry had seen many girls hug before, it seemed to be a favorite pastime of the female species, but never like this. There was something deeply personal about the embrace. They got several looks from passing students, but the girl comforting simply glared until they were left alone.

Harry took a hesitant step forward, considering, before he took another. Decision made, he walked up to the two girls. They looked to be about the same height, but the one doing the comforting was a brunette while the girl she was holding was a blonde.

The brunette girl looked up at Harry's approach and fixed him with a cold stare. Harry was almost dissuaded by it but continued on. "Hello." He said lowly as he stood in front of them.

The blonde girl lifted her head, sniffling, from the other one's shoulder. Her makeup was running from her tears, but her eyes were pretty enough she looked beautiful instead of ugly. "Hello." The brunette girl said carefully.

Harry gave a small smile, hoping he wasn't appearing creepy rather than friendly. "Did I overhear that right? McGonagall said that you couldn't go to the ball together?"

The girls exchanged looks. "What's it to you?" The brunette asked. She handed a handkerchief to the other girl, who blew her nose.

"Well, nothing, except I think that's wrong."

At his words, the demeanor of the girls melted. They both smiled as they exchanged a much warmer look this time.

"Thank you for saying so." The blonde girl spoke finally.

"No problem. It's just, er, I need a date to the ball," the girls exchanged another look this time with raised brows, "and I was wondering if one of you would like to go with me, that way you would officially be with a boy, and then you can break off and be together."

The girls gasped, "You would do that?" the blonde girl asked.

"What's in it for you?" the brunette asked, eyes narrowing.

Harry shifted his foot. "I have my reasons. I don't want to go with any of these giggly girls, but I need a date, someone to have one dance with, and it apparently needs to be someone of a different gender." He hadn't really meant to reveal so much.

Both girls gasped, then looked to each other and started giggling. Great. He was gearing up to walk away when the blonde said, "Alright, alright, I'm game."

"I don't want to go without her," the brunette said. The blonde smiled and kissed her cheek. They smiled at each other and Harry felt a smile on his own face.

"If you like, I have a friend that could go with, well, whoever doesn't go with me." He stated awkwardly. The girls giggled again, and Harry started rethinking this whole thing.

"I'll go with you," the brunette said, "no offense, Mandy, but I'm a bit of a better dancer than you." Mandy scoffed and lightly hit her girlfriend on the arm. They were separated by this point, holding hands that were hidden by their robes.

"Great," Harry said, hoping he hadn't just made a large mistake.

"I'm Sally-Anne Perks, by the way," the brunette said, holding out a hand to shake. Harry took it.

"Harry Potter." The girls laughed full on this time.

"We know!" They said together.

* * *

The holiday break this year was more welcome than any other years. All Harry wanted to do was lay on his bed and sleep. He was still anxious about the Ball, but not as much as he had been. Finding a date was much more stressful than waiting for the Ball to happen.

He still wished he could go with Draco and the daydream got him through lots of down times.

_He and Draco would enter the Ball together, hand in hand. They would be fashionably late, just late enough for everyone else to already be in the Hall. Gasps would echo around the room at seeing the two rivals together, and Harry might turn to Draco and give him a kiss on the cheek, just to make sure everyone knew what was really going on. _

_The orchestra,_ for there was a full orchestra in his fantasy, _would start to play a slow song, completely unaware of what everyone was so confused about. Draco would lead Harry over to the empty dance floor and lead him in a dance together where they held each other close. The longer they danced, the more faces transformed to shock or disgust to happiness and acceptance, couples began joining them on the floor and they were just another couple in the crows. Harry saw Ron in the crowd standing next to Hermione, their hands intertwined. Ron would look blank at first, then when he caught Harry's eye, he would take a deep breath and nod once, smile on his face. Hermione would be beaming, cheering them on. _

_They would dance and twirl all night, getting smiles from anyone that so much as passed by them. They only had eyes for each other. They'd dance and dance, and sometimes they would take a break and eat with both of their friends. For some reason they all got along, and they would laugh and joke around together. The teachers would congratulate them, and they'd turn down anyone who wanted to separate them for a dance. _

_Pansy Parkinson would sometimes come up to them and try to take Harry away. Draco would yell at her, tell her that no one could take him away from Harry. She would run away in tears and Draco would look at Harry with a face of utter devotion. _

_Draco would escort Harry to his common room, instead of the other way around, talking about anything and everything under the moon. When they finally arrived at the Portrait of the Fat Lady, they'd say how enjoyable the night was. They'd say how they couldn't wait to see each other again, or how much they meant to each other. Then, they would kiss. _

_Sometimes Harry would dip Draco, sometimes Draco dipped Harry. Other times, they would cup each other's cheeks. When he was feeling particularly randy, one of them would get pushed into the wall, and their kiss would turn into many. They would sometimes end up on the floor and they would roll around. _

I want you Harry_, Draco would say. _Yes_, Harry would reply, and their clothes would be stripped off. Draco's mouth would be on him everywhere there was skin. __It would be easy, wonderful, erotic. There wouldn't be any panic, no anxiety, no hesitation. They would finish and smile at each other, and kiss again. At this point they were in a bed and had been for a while. Sometimes it was the bed in Harry's dorm, other times it would be in their special classroom, or right there in the corridor outside the Fat Lady. _

The fantasies would sometimes end long before the sexy parts, but when Harry would wank, that was his exclusive dream since the Ball had been announced. He had slowly continued with the book Draco had bought him, getting into the acts they could do together. He forced himself to read the instructive, dry print that made it seem like this was no big deal and would picture him and Draco doing those things. As time went on, it became easier and easier to actually see himself in these situations, and the panic he would feel at them would decline.

Finally, the day of the Ball came. It seemed like there were absolutely no girls under fourth year in the castle. It got around that all the girls spent all day getting ready for the ball. The boys were dumbfounded at this tidbit.

Harry was meeting Sally-Anne in the entrance hall. They had said 'hi' in passing, and Sally-Anne's abrasive personality was starting to grow on him. Her girlfriend, Mandy Brocklehurst, was one of the sweetest people Harry had ever met, and he found it interesting how their personalities worked together.

"How long does it take these girls to get ready?" Ron asked. Harry shrugged. He personally didn't mind waiting, he wasn't keen for the Ball to start.

"As long as it takes," came a voice from behind them. It was Sally-Anne, dressed in a pretty purple dress with a pink sash. Mandy was dressed in the same style of robes, only hers was the same color of the pink sash. Her sash was the same purple of Sally-Anne's dress.

Ron blushed at being caught. "Sorry. Are you Mandy?"

"Sally-Anne, but I usually go by Sal. This is Mandy," she said, gesturing, then her eyes hardened, "and you had better treat her well or you and I will have a problem." Ron looked positively terrified at the fist waving in his face.

Mandy laughed and grabbed the hand. "Come on, Sally, Sweetie. I'm sure he'll be a perfect gentleman."

"I like what you did with your dresses," Harry cut in, trying to change the subject, not entirely sure Ron had ever been a gentleman.

"Thanks!" Mandy beamed. "We figured since we couldn't officially go together, it was a good idea to make sure everyone knew we are actually together."

"The homophobes at this school are real. Most people are just curious, I guess, but there are a couple people that are just totally against us being happy."

Harry frowned at this. He was thankful he and Draco didn't have to deal with any negativity from outside forces, the good thing about having a secret relationship, but it didn't outweigh how much he wanted other people to know. If they were to 'come out' they could hold hands in public, walk each other to class, kiss whenever they wanted. It would be nice, even if there were people against their union.

Before long, McGonagall was calling for all the students sans the champions to get in the Hall, and the Champions and their dates to form a line. Harry did a double take at Krum's date, it was Hermione. She smiled at Harry's dropped jaw and Sally closed it from his chin.

Harry focused on walking, trying not to look like an idiot as they entered the Hall and sat down. He jumped back up when he saw Cedric pull out the chair for Cho Chang and did the same for an unimpressed Sally. Soon, the moment passed, and the dinner set forward.

"So, are you going to tell me who you wanted to ask," Sally asked in a low voice once it was apparent everyone else was deep in conversations.

Harry spluttered and choked on his butterbeer. "Guess not." Sally smirked, and it reminded him of Draco. He had very carefully avoided looking for Draco, knowing it would be a huge distraction to him.

"It's not that I don't want to tell you, it's just…"

"You're not ready to come out yet."

"Yes! That's it exactly." It was, too. Once Draco was of age, he would be out from under his father's influence and they could be together. If they lasted that long, and that actually was the plan. They hadn't discussed the future beyond the hypothetical, and Harry suddenly wondered what Draco's plans were. Would he ever go against his father?

His thoughts were interrupted by a hand on his shoulder. "I know, better than anyone, how tough it can be. I'm dreading telling my parents, they already don't like that I'm a witch. They're god-fearing Christian muggles," she explained at Harry's curious look, "and I'm sure they'll have a problem with it. But at the end of the day, I'm their daughter, and I know they love me. I'm sure that whatever problem you're picturing won't be as bad as you think."

"Thanks. It's not really homophobia I'm worried about right now, it's just…" Harry paused. It would be so good to have someone he could talk to about this, it was weighing on his heart. He thought it would be ok too, so long as he didn't mention Draco's name. Draco hadn't been upset when he had told Ron and Hermione about having a pen pal, or a new friend, he just didn't want it to get out that it was Draco specifically. He didn't give any further detail because that would be inviting them to further questions. "You can keep a secret, right?"

Sally raised her eyebrows. "I'm not one for gossip. Mandy is, but we have an understanding that we don't talk to each other about our friend's secrets. So, whatever you want to tell me, I promise I won't tell anyone."

Harry appreciated the promise. "I have a… boyfriend." He waited for her reaction, which was just a slight smile and nod. "He's great. Wonderful. He's perfect, it's just that his father wouldn't approve of our relationship. I don't know if it would bother him that I'm a boy, but it would if he knew it was _me_." Sally looked confused, as if wondering who would have a problem with their child dating the boy-who-lived. Harry wasn't going to explain that part. "So, we can't tell anyone that we're dating. Anyone, and I wish we could. It kills me to see him and know that I can't so much as talk to him in front of people, much less kiss him. It's really hard being in a relationship that no one can know about. I can't even whisper to my best friends, and I hate having to lie to them, especially. It's causing so many problems and I don't know what I can do to solve them, because the only thing that would help is the one thing I can't do."

Harry was slightly panting, and he took a deep breath trying to calm down. He hadn't meant to get so worked up.

"Damn." Sally said simply. "That's a lot of shit to deal with."

Harry laughed. It may have been slightly hysterically, but he felt like a weight had been lessened. It wasn't gone completely, but simply telling someone was so helpful. He knew it could cause problems, but he had a feeling that he could trust Sally. She was no-nonsense and could at least sympathize with the issues they were facing.

Sooner than he would have liked, he was standing up for the first dance. Draco and he had practiced together, taking turns leading so Harry would have some experience, and he thought he could at least not look like an idiot while doing it. He knew he didn't look as graceful as Draco, but he thought he looked better than Krum, who wasn't nearly as graceful on land as he was in the air.

Sally was a great dancer, and her dress spun in a way that made him think it was made to dance with. As he was dancing, he caught sight of Draco in the crowd. There was a strange look on his face. He looked longingly at Harry, a hard edge of jealousy on the side. They locked eyes, and Harry bit his lip. Draco shrugged out a sigh, as if saying there was nothing they could do, and Harry twirling his date around, wishing that it was Draco he was twirling around instead.

Pansy Parkinson was Draco's date, as Harry had been informed of beforehand. She had asked him after they had agreed to just take whoever, and he figured she was about as good as he could do. Harry didn't like the way she gripped his arm like it belonged to her.

Finally, there were more couples on the floor dancing. Harry caught Sally staring yearningly at Mandy one time too many and lead her over to the table she and Ron were at. Mandy sprang up and hugged her the moment they were close enough. Harry smiled at the sight and sat next to Ron, who was staring at Hermione dancing with Krum.

"You guys haven't danced yet," Sally asked, tucking Mandy under her arm as they sat.

"Maybe later," Mandy sighed, staring up at her. Harry felt his stomach clench in envy.

After a couple songs, Sally told Ron to dance with Mandy.

Ron's head snapped to stare at her. "I don't think she wants to." He said quickly.

"No, I'd like to." Mandy smiled. Ron blanched a bit, looking between her and the dance floor.

"Alright," he said finally, and held out his hand. Harry had a hard time not laughing.

"How many times do you think he'll step on her feet?" Sally asked, as if regretting pushing them.

Harry did laugh this time. "I'm sure she'll be fine. Look, I think she's leading." He spoke too soon. They could both see Mandy visibly flinch but smile reassuringly as Ron stepped back.

"I'm going to keep track, so I know how many times to punch him later."

"Do you think you two will dance together?"

Sally sighed. "I don't know. McGonagall said we couldn't go together, but I think she meant we couldn't dance together either. I looked it up, and apparently same sex couples are in and of itself more accepted than in the muggle world, but with most upscale events, it's frowned upon. Pureblood society rules are fascinating to me. So, it's totally fine to have a lover the same sex as you, but only before a marriage contract is written and after an heir is produced. Sometimes it's even allowed during the marriage if it's written into the contract or the spouse is ok with it. Which is apparently pretty common. I just don't understand why, if it's so widely accepted, it's not alright to just get married and adopt and skip that whole false marriage business. It seems more wrong to me. Of course, I'm one of those people who would benefit. In the muggle world, I think one of the main arguments against gay people is it would ruin the sanctity of marriage, in my opinion, marrying someone just to produce an heir is more devastating to the sanctity of marriage than two people who love each other who happen to have the same parts. Harry?"

She had turned to him and noticed that he was having trouble breathing. He had followed her through most of her speech, but the pureblood rules had tripped him up emotionally. Was that all he was, a fling before Draco got married? This wasn't how Draco had described the problem with them being together. Did he just not want them to be seen together so it wouldn't hurt his marriage prospects? He couldn't breathe, and he was surrounded by people.

Suddenly, a hand was pulling him up, leading him out of the Hall. The hand was warm, but too warm, too small. Draco's hand fit perfectly into Harry's, at first it was slightly too big to be comfortable, but the longer they were together, the better it felt.

"Breathe in. Good now, breathe out. Good." Sally was talking to him, and the words invaded his mind as if he was underwater then suddenly surfaced. They were against a wall around a corner from the main doors. He felt himself calm down, then embarrassment welled. No one had seen him lose it except for Draco, and he still had trouble with him seeing that.

"It's alright. I won't tell anyone." Sally-Anne was a wonderful friend. He nodded, trying to gather himself.

"Thanks, Sally." She snorted in a very un-lady like fashion.

"We're friends now. I demand that you call me Sal. Sally is so…girly." She shuddered as if this was a grievous offense.

Harry laughed, feeling the last of his panic leaving him.

"There you are!" It was Draco, and he was panting. He slid to the floor on his knees next to Harry and cupped his cheek. "Are you alright? I saw in the Hall, don't worry no one else noticed, I came as soon as I could…"

Harry felt himself freeze, Sally-Sal was still here, did Draco not notice her? "Have you been addled Malfoy?" He asked, trying to save him. He slapped Draco's hand away and made to move.

"There's no need for that, I figured it out a little while ago." Harry and Draco both turned to Sal, wondering if they were being too obvious and what she would do with that juicy bit of gossip. "Don't worry. I would never purposefully out someone who didn't want to be, and I can tell this whole thing is super complicated, so you don't have to worry about telling anyone."

Harry smiled, and leaned forward to hug Sal. Draco seemed hesitant. "I appreciate that, Ms. Perks. It would dire if anyone were to find out about us."

Sal snorted again. "Sure. I go by Sal to my friends, by the way. Anyway, I'll give your excuses, Harry, if anyone asks about you. Draco, I'll see you around. Have fun, boys." She giggled as she walked away.

Harry and Draco turned to look at each other. "Are you alright?" Draco asked.

Harry nodded. "I can't believe you came after me. Draco, you really didn't have to do that. I know how important it is that no one sees us together." A pulse of hurt came back at what he was wondering earlier.

"I know. I just panicked when I saw you in trouble. It hurts me when you're hurting." Harry felt a now familiar feeling rise in his heart, one that he had been feeling more and more frequently. Suddenly, he gasped, knowing what the unknown emotion was. "What's wrong?" Draco asked at Harry's intake of air.

Harry shook his head, still in awe. "Want to go to our room?"

Draco nodded, and helped Harry stand. They walked in silence the couple minutes it took to get there. When they entered, Harry felt his jaw drop.

There were jars and butterbeer bottles filled with white light all over the room, candles burning away merrily. There had to be at least a hundred light sources floating lightly around the room. There were icicles all over the room, hanging from every available ledge, and they were obviously enchanted, as they shone lowly, not dripping a drop of moisture. Their armchairs were pushed against the far wall, leaving room for the cushion and blanket pile in front of them. A bouquet of white poinsettias were on the table and at every corner of the room. Draco had cleared out a square area that was outlined with more jars. Their barricade blocked the door from passing eyes, but beyond that, the room had been cleaned until it was sparkling.

"I put a silencing charm on the door, and another one for dissuading people from coming in. It should last for the rest of the night." Harry took a step forward, turning to take in the sight. It was incredible, and he knew Draco couldn't go any longer without knowing. "I know it's kind of girly, but I thought it was romantic, and—"

Harry placed a finger on Draco's lips, shushing him. He took Draco's hand and pulled him further into the room. He assumed the area outlined with jars was a makeshift dance floor. That would do for what he wanted. He pulled Draco into his personal space, wrapping his arms around his neck. Draco wrapped his own arms around Harry's waist. It wasn't a traditional pose, but then, neither were they. They swayed slowly back and forth for a couple seconds before Draco got his wand out. He pointed it in the direction of their table and an old-style radio filled music in the room.

Harry melted. Draco remembered.

"This is perfect." They danced with their foreheads touching for a full song before Harry spoke. "I hated not being able to be with you tonight." Draco inclined his head, knowing that it was his fault for this. "I don't blame you, Draco. Tonight, Sal brought up some stuff about how purebloods are supposed to behave before during and after marriage, and it scared me. It scared me because I can't imagine my life without you in it. I have no idea what I'm doing after school, what my career will be, but I can see you. I see myself coming home to you, waking up next to you, fighting over the breakfast table with you," he took a deep breath, stealing himself, "making love to you. And it's only you. No one else will do, because no one else is the brilliance that is Draco Malfoy. I love you, Draco. I love you. I just wanted you to know."

Draco stared at Harry, and he realized they had come to a stop at some point. He was suddenly nervous at Draco's silence. Maybe he had said too much of his feelings. Maybe Draco really didn't intend to marry him. Maybe he did see their relationship ending after school. Maybe even if he didn't, he didn't see it going so far. Harry had implied a lot with that. He had meant for it to be sweet and real, and because he had taken so long to say it, he wanted to make it heartfelt. Maybe that was just too much. Maybe—

"I love you, _so. much._" Draco whispered, and then his lips were on Harry's. They were so soft, but they were also demanding. Harry felt like he was melting, and Draco was picking up all the pieces. Everything would be ok it had to be.

An unknown amount of time later, they were still kissing. They had realized through experimentation that standing made Harry feel comfortable enough they didn't need to stop suddenly. Harry gave him another lingering kiss and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too," Draco whispered against Harry's lips. "Do you want to dance anymore?" Harry nodded. Holding Draco close sounded wonderful. As they got into position, Draco lowly asked, "what exactly did Ms. Perks say that was so scary to you?"

"Oh." Harry had mostly forgotten about that. "She said that purebloods are generally ok with same gendered relationships, but only if there's not a marriage contract in place, or after there's a kid. Like having an heir is more important than being in love."

Draco sighed. Harry felt worry settle in his stomach for the umpteenth time. "Harry, there's something you need to understand about that. To most pureblood families, continuing the line _is_ more important than any feelings of love. To purebloods, blood is sacred, marriage, family, children, it all comes second to purity."

"Do you feel that way?" He was not pureblood, and he had never been more aware of that.

Draco stopped them and cupped Harry's face between his hands. "Harry James Potter. I am risking everything to be with you, because that is how much I love you. You are worth more to me than everything else in my life, combined. I know that we're young, and a lot of our future is undecided, but that's how I feel. When the time comes, I am going to defy everything to be with you. I am going to be a blood traitor because I would rather be that than be separated from you. I see you in my future, too, Harry. It's all I can see. I love you."

Harry felt his emotions come to the surface, and he was kissing Draco this time. Their kissing turned heated quickly, and they tumbled onto the cushions. They had perfected the position that Harry felt most comfortable with, connected from the waist up, their legs going in different directions. They stayed in that position for a long while, kissing happily and passionately. Slowly, Harry found himself climbing on top of Draco, and their bottom halves were touching. Their legs gradually intertwined, and Harry broke off from Draco's mouth to attach himself to Draco's neck. This was ok, he was fine.

Then, he felt Draco's hardened penis through his trousers. Harry stopped, but he didn't feel too much panic. "It's ok, we can stop," Draco panted.

"I…I don't want to stop." They stared at each other, both breathing heavily, then Draco leaned forward.

"Are you sure," he whispered, staring at Harry's lips.

"Yes…but, just kissing?" he asked lightly. Draco smiled and nodded, and their lips met again. They kept kissing for a long while, and it was absolutely brilliant. Finally, they got to a point where they couldn't take any more. They laid next to each other panting.

"That was…" Harry started, but he couldn't think of a good enough word.

"Yes. Yes, it was." Draco agreed, pulling Harry up under his arm. They remained quiet, just enjoying the gentle music and lights.

"Wait," Harry said suddenly, "no one has mentioned gay marriage, is it illegal in the wizard world too?"

"Yes. Well, there's all sorts of bonding ceremonies we can do, but same sex marriage is not officially recognized by the ministry."

"I—er, I um, the—bonding, us?"

Draco laughed. "Sorry, maybe I should have left it hypothetical."

"No, no, it's er, good to know! Does this mean that we, er—."

"We're not engaged Harry, calm down. It'll happen, but I think fourteen is a little young, don't you?"

"Yeah," Harry said, calming down. They could worry or relax about the future when it was happening. For now, this was plenty for him.

They ended up sleeping in their room, cuddled up in each other's arms. Harry found it interesting that no one asked where he had been.

* * *

Cedric pulled Harry aside the next day and gave him the very helpful advice of taking a bath with his golden egg. He gave him the password to the prefects' bathroom, but Harry wasn't sure he would use it. As soon as January hit, he began to feel the pressure of the second task. He did want to earn his win, if he did win, and didn't want to take Cedric's advice.

Eventually, however, he had no choice. Draco had been bugging him about the second task insistently, and he was ready to do something just to shut him up. He figured since he was taking Cedric's advice, he might as well do it in style, and decided to go to the prefect's bathroom. Draco decided he would tag along and bought Harry a swimming costume when Harry used that as an excuse not to.

Harry just didn't want Draco to see him shirtless. He was careful with his dorm mates, so they never even saw him. He knew that Draco would see his scars and he didn't want that. He could of course, wear a shirt, but then Draco would ask why he was wearing one.

However, their recent declarations of love had mellowed him out a little. Draco really did love him, and they were going to sleep together, figuratively, some time in the future, so he might as well get that over with.

When they entered the bathroom, they had fun for several minutes playing with all the taps. Harry got a bit involved with playing with all the taps, and therefore missed Draco undressing. When Draco coughed, Harry turned and gasped at the sight Draco presented.

He was absolutely flawless, pure white alabaster skin, perfection in a package. His white-blonde hair really complimented him. He was hairless on his chest, but he could see some on his stomach. He was more muscled than the other boys in his dormitory, being a quidditch player, and thinner too. He was long and lean, and Harry had never noticed how every part of him was like that, from his fingers to his toes. He looked absolutely perfect, standing there in a little black swim costume, a big smile completing the look.

Harry gulped as he moved from the giant tub. "Like what you see?" Draco asked, dripping with confidence. He nodded jerkily. "Well, your turn." When Harry nearly tripped over himself, Draco laughed lightly and said, "I'll get in the tub. Come join me when you're ready."

Harry thought this was the best way it could have happened. He undressed quickly, with Draco sitting along the side facing away from him. He was leaning his head back, eyes closed when Harry slid in. Harry made his way slowly to him, trepidation in every muscle.

"Hey gorgeous," Draco said when Harry was right in front of him. Harry let out a relieved sigh, Draco was meeting his eyes and hadn't looked down. Harry sunk further into the bubbles, alright with postponing that conversation. He had decided not to lie to Draco if he asked where the scars came from, he already knew most of it.

They swam around for a while, Draco teaching Harry a couple strokes. "We should probably get to work on that egg," Draco finally attempted.

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "Get it for me?"

Draco laughed. "You just want to look at my arse, don't you?"

Harry wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he didn't. He just didn't want Draco looking at him. Although, the suggestion did have merit, so he did watch Draco's arse as it climbed out of the tub, bent down, then climbed back in with the egg. Harry was sure the hip wiggling hadn't been necessary.

The egg screeched just as loudly every time they tried opening it. "Here, give it to me," Draco said, and tried to grab the egg. Unfortunately, it was slippery and fell through his grip. "Damn," they both swore as they felt it sink to the bottom of the tub.

"I'll get it," Harry volunteered quickly. He was astounded when he heard music. "Draco! It's a song, listen." They both ducked under the water, and before they knew it they had the song memorized between the two of them. Now the easy part, figuring out what it meant.

They went back and forth with ideas, and finally had things mostly worked out. They decided that there must be mermaids in the Black Lake, someone was going to take something from Harry, and Harry would have to get it back. "But how am I going to breathe under water for an hour?" Draco bit his lip.

"You know what? Let's worry about that later. For now, let's celebrate you winning the tournament."

Harry let out a low chuckle, "I haven't won the tournament, Draco."

"That doesn't matter. I know you will." With that, Draco gave Harry a nice big smooch, pushing him towards the wall of the tub. Oh, it felt incredible. They had never been this close before, with their legs all intertwined. Their bare chests touched, and Draco reached up to run his fingers through Harry's hair, pulling on the strands to get them impossibly closer. Harry could feel Draco's heart beating, they were so close. He felt himself grow excited and felt when Draco did as well. They stopped kissing slowly, exchanging small pecks as they slowly opened their eyes.

Draco moved his hands down so he was cupping Harry's face. "Tell me to stop...and I will." He breathed into Harry's mouth. Harry nodded, he was shaking as he felt Draco come closer, tilting his head up as Draco moved his nose under Harry's chin. Draco placed a hot, open-mouthed kiss right on his Adam's apple and moved down from there, marking his territory with sucking and bites. His chest was heaving for shaking breaths.

This was the hottest thing they had done together, ever. He wanted to feel more. He wasn't sure who moved first but all of a sudden, they were closer. A rush of arousal went up his penis and to his stomach, fluttering out to the rest of his body. They moaned together, and their mouths opened and met in a filthy kiss full of tongue and teeth. They traded breaths and curled their tongues together and clashed their teeth.

A loud gasp that wasn't from either of them had them breaking their contact with mouths to look towards the noise when they both startled. For floating on top of the taps, was Moaning Myrtle. They jumped apart, how much had she seen?

Their hands went to their own crotches, covering themselves from her prying eyes, even if the bubbles did most of the work.

"Myrtle!" Harry yelled, "what the hell are you doing here? Get out!"

A very silvery blushing Myrtle let out a wail befitting to her name and exited through the toilet in the corner.

"Well that's a damn mood killer." Draco said. Harry nodded in agreement. Fun time was over. It took a minute for him to realize that he was shaking.

"Hey," Draco muttered, "what's wrong, Sweetheart?" He swam to Harry's side and had him in his arms in under a minute.

Harry wasn't entirely sure. Usually panic attacks happened before something like that happened. This felt like a very mild one.

Draco ran a hand through his hair, "shh, it's ok," and other wonderful little platitudes on his breath. Eventually, Harry stopped shaking, then he calmed his breathing. He shut his eyes and rested his head further into Draco's shoulder, his eyes on his neck.

"All better?" Harry nodded. He still wanted to stay exactly right where he was, however.

"Thank you," he said, meaning more than the words could describe.

Draco leaned his head down to kiss the top of Harry's head. "That was much better than any of the others you've had."

"Was it?"

"Yes. I think you're getting better, Sweetheart." Harry smiled, he could believe that. "I'm so proud of you." Draco whispered into his locks. Harry melted.

They climbed out of the tub and went to get towels. Draco gasped upon seeing Harry out of the tub. His eyes raked down every inch of him.

Harry reached out and grabbed the oversized towel to wrap it around himself quickly, avoiding Draco's eyes. "I know, I'm—"

"Beautiful." Draco breathed. Harry stared. "You are so beautiful, my love." Harry felt heat fuel up inside him. He didn't want to believe him. "You are, my beautiful Harry. I love you so much."

"Draco, please." Harry blushed and looked down. "I've got so many scars, I know you see them. Not to mention I'm too skinny and short."

Draco held his hand up, pulling at Harry's towel to bring him closer. He opened it slowly. "You may see scars, but I see visual representation of all the hardships you've had to deal with. I think that each and every one of these scars," he traced one that went down over Harry's heart, "are just as beautiful and wonderful as you are. You are the perfect height to fit right into my arms, and I can wrap them all the way around you. You are exactly perfect exactly as you are."

Harry bit his lip. He didn't entirely believe Draco, but he said it perfectly calmly, looking Harry in the eye, and Harry just had a feeling he was being honest. Draco, while Harry was thinking, had started to dry Harry off with the large towel. He moved it up and down Harry's arms, around his abdomen, and got on his knees to do his legs. Harry was very touched by the sweet display and repeated the actions on Draco when he was done.

He got to his feet slowly, something about this moment was tense and intimate. The very air was practically crackling. Draco looked slightly dazed as he looked at Harry. A very pink tongue came out and licked his lips, Harry wanted to bite it.

"Did they hurt you, Harry," Draco asked, a pained expression on his face.

Harry gulped. "I sort of thought you knew. I haven't been shy about it."

Draco looked down. "I didn't want to think about it. I had hoped you were exaggerating, but looking at you, everything you've told me is a huge understatement. I'm so sorry, Harry, I should have done something sooner. I don't want you going back to that house. Is there anywhere else you can stay?"

Harry sighed and pulled Draco over to a little stool in the corner, they both sat in their towels, connected by their clasped hands. "I don't want to go back, but there's nowhere else for me to go. I stay with the Weasleys sometimes, and Sirius offered to take me when he gets free, but there's nothing I can do for now."

"I think, if you tell someone, anyone, you wouldn't have to go back there. What they're doing to you is wrong, Harry. You know that, right?"

Harry looked away. "I know it is. It hasn't been that bad since… well, since I got my first Hogwarts letter. It was addressed to the cupboard under the stairs and the Dursleys got paranoid that there were wizards watching the house, so they didn't get physical with me since."

"Wait, no, why was your letter addressed to the cupboard under the stairs? The magic shouldn't have made a mistake like that." Draco's eyes were wide and intense. Harry stared at his feet as he talked.

"Er, it may have been my bedroom, at the time." Draco let out a small breath, like a whisper and closed his eyes. He withdrew his hand from Harry's to hold his head in his hands, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees. Harry felt sick. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I –"

"Harry." Draco demanded, suddenly sitting up straight and putting his hands on Harry's shoulders. He had tears in his eyes. "Don't you dare apologize. I'm not angry with you, I'm angry with them. They had no right to treat you like that! I can't believe anyone would be so horrible, to a child, no less. Harry, you have no right to be as wonderful as you are. I'm serious, you should be mean and nasty to everyone you meet, but you're kind, and you genuinely care about everyone, people you've never even met. I just don't understand how you got to be so special."

Harry blinked, feeling tears welling in his own eyes. "I'm not special, Draco. I'm just like everyone else."

"But you're not, Sweetheart. You are so much better than every other human on this earth, and I am so lucky to have you. I just wish you would believe that." He pulled Harry close and they were hugging. They didn't agree, but they loved each other, and it was enough that they acknowledged the other's viewpoint. They were like that on a lot of things, not necessarily agreeing with each other, but respecting the other's opinions.

"Promise me," Draco whispered to Harry, still embracing him, "that if you ever feel unsafe there, you'll leave." Harry took in a deep breath. Draco was asking a lot of him.

"Where would I go?" That was the main problem.

"Anywhere. The Weasley's, the Leaky Cauldron, my manor would be preferable. Anywhere, so long as you're safe."

Harry nodded. "Alright. I promise I'll leave if I feel unsafe."

Draco smiled, sadly, and kissed him.

"When you're ready, I want to hear about how you got every one of those scars." Draco said quietly. Harry nodded, knowing he would.

They changed quietly, facing different directions. Harry didn't peak, and he knew Draco wouldn't either. At the door, they exchanged a quick peck before climbing under Harry's invisibility cloak.

Their path back to the Slytherin common room was uneventful, and they traded another kiss before Harry departed for his own common room.

That way _was _eventful. He got stuck in a vanishing step in front of Filch, Snape and Moody. Moody saved him from Snape just in time and took the map as an exchange. As soon as his head the pillow, he was asleep.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading so far, and to everyone who reviewed, I appreciate it. **


	6. Year 4 Part III

Harry knocked on Hagrid's door with some trepidation. The week before, Hermione had led them to Hagrid's Hut and demanded that he return to teaching. Hagrid had taken the week off in response to Rita Skeeter's article claiming he was a half giant. Dumbledore had the same idea, and the improvised meeting ended with Hagrid agreeing to go back to work. Right before they left, Hagrid asked Harry to come back the next weekend, as he had something he wanted to talk to him about.

Hagrid answered the door with his typical, "Harry!" served him rock cakes as usual, asked him about his week, as normal. What was strange was his eyes kept shifting, he shifted constantly, and he rang his hands.

When Harry finally asked him what was wrong, Hagrid heaved a great sigh and looked at Harry with his beetle black eyes. "I don' wan' ter tell yeh how to live yer life, Harry, but there's summat I bin meanin' ter talk to you abou'. I didn' think you and Malfoy were friends anymore." Harry stared at him, horror rising up within him like a snake.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, trying to sort through memories to figure out what had tipped him off.

"A couple mont's ago, you an' Malfoy were sittin' at the same table at the Three Broomsticks. We'e all been so caugh' up in this tournament, haven' gotten a chance ter talk to yeh. I been thinkin' about it though. Here now, I jus'—"

"We're not friends!" Harry cried out, thinking quickly. He remembered the day clearly, he and Draco had been on a date, with him under the invisibility cloak when Moody and Hagrid had come by and told Harry to meet him, Hagrid, by his cabin to tell him about the dragons for the first task. He hadn't considered the ramifications of Hagrid knowing they were at the same table. Hagrid had assumed they were friends, and Hagrid had the loosest lips of anyone he had ever met. It was time to lie his arse off. He would feel bad about it later.

"See, Malfoy and I made a bet that he couldn't go three hours without making fun of someone, so I had to tail him to make sure he did it. There was no one else around, because neither of us wanted to be seen together, and make the assumption that you just did. Heads would roll! And both of our reputations would take a hit. He lost, by the way, I won. Still haven't decided what I'm going to make him do for me, got any suggestions?" There. He did it. He had saved Draco.

Hagrid looked surprised and relieved. "Pro'ably not bes' ter go 'round makin' bets, Harry." He chided, then chuckled. "Wha' if you made him go ter class naked?"

Harry choked. If he had been drinking something, he would have spit it out. He laughed uproariously, "Hagrid!" As if he would want other people looking at Draco. "Don't you think that's a bit extreme?"

Hagrid shrugged, then suggested making him walk a couple meters into the forbidden forest. He remembered how scared Draco had been his first year, and Harry realized Hagrid was ruthless. They spent the rest of the time he was there coming up with various ways to torture Draco. Harry had to admit he enjoyed himself.

Harry didn't realize it was Valentine's day until he arrived in the Great Hall to see it decorated with pink hearts. It wasn't nearly as bad as two years previous, but it still sent a spasm of dread up his spine. He had completely forgotten the holiday, and he had a boyfriend who was probably expecting something. Not daring to look over to the Slytherin table, he wiped off flower petals from the seat at Gryffindor table before sitting down.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked, astute as ever.

"Nothing," Harry said, "just forgot it was Valentine's is all."

"How could you forget? And why is that bad?"

Harry shrugged. "Just a reminder of how bad Lockhart's was." He was getting much better at the lies and deceit, and he was simultaneously proud and abashed at that.

Their reactions were exactly as Harry had thought they would be. Ron started laughing uproariously and Hermione blushed and dropped her speculative expression.

Draco and Harry usually met up on Sundays anyway, so Harry spent the day tearing through his trunk trying to find a gift or something he could do for Draco, only to come up empty. He had a usual public fight with "Malfoy," at lunch, and wondered if that would be foreshadowing for later that day. He ended up bribing a seventh year who got both chocolates and flowers for his girlfriend to give him the chocolates.

Feeling much better about himself, he dismissed any guilt he felt over not doing anything for the second task and made his way to their room.

Upon entering, he stopped and gaped. It was decorated very similarly to how it was after the Yule Ball, only instead of icicles, there were roses and rose petals all over the room. The candles and jars had made a reappearance, and Harry wondered where Draco put them when not in use. He quickly shook that thought out of his head, however, when he saw Draco. He was standing in the middle of the room, wearing robes fashioned to look like a muggle tux, holding a single red rose, and wearing an expression of confidence. He looked good enough to eat, and Harry suddenly felt like doing just that.

He moved forward not paying any attention to his surroundings, only one goal in mind as he grabbed Draco and smashed their lips together. Draco responded eagerly, and they spent several long minutes happily sliding their lips together.

Draco was smirking when he pulled back. Not the mean one, but the confident one that showed he was particularly proud of himself. "Now we have that out of the way," he drawled, and Harry snorted, "happy Valentine's Day, my valentine. I love you."

"Happy Valentine's Day, Baby, I love you, too." Draco rolled his eyes at the name but leaned forward to kiss Harry again.

Harry glanced down at the unwrapped box of chocolates in his hand. They were nice Honeydukes quality, but Harry felt like they were woefully inadequate now. "Are those for me?" Draco asked, and bless him, he was happy. "I love these chocolates; how did you know?" He pulled them from Harry's grasp and opened it eagerly.

"I didn't." Harry said miserably. He knew Draco loved sweets and chocolate but not that brand. He burned it into his memory. "I'm so sorry, Draco. I completely forgot that Valentine's was even in February. This is all so lovely, you obviously went to so much trouble for me, and I got those chocolates off a bloke in Gryffindor. You deserve so much better than me and—" Draco had placed his finger on Harry's lips and shushed him. He put the rose and chocolates on the chair behind him.

"Harry, calm down." He hadn't realized his breathing had picked up, but Draco waited until he was mostly calm again. "Harry, you have been so stressed about everything I didn't want to add anything on. I knew you'd probably forget, but I didn't want you worrying about anything but the second task. If I knew you were going to react like this, I would have brought it up. Now, calm down."

Harry still felt terrible. "I still should have—"

"No, you shouldn't've. Look, this year is my turn to woo you, you can have next year and make it up to me, alright?"

That was better. Draco always had some way for making Harry feel better. Harry was going to knock Draco's socks off next year, he had plenty of time to plan something spectacular.

Draco led Harry over to where he had set up a table and chairs. There was a nice white table cloth, three long lit candles, and silver plates with steaming steaks and roast vegetables on them. "This looks fantastic," Harry said as he sat down. Draco had pulled out his chair for him, ever the perfect gentleman.

"I'm glad. I hope you like it. How was your day?"

"Other than our rather public fight of the week? Pretty good. Honestly, I spent a lot of the day trying to come up with something to do for you."

Draco laughed. He had slid over a present as soon as their plates were clear. It was a simple silver bracelet.

"It's gorgeous," Harry said as he slipped it on his wrist. "I'm never taking it off."

"Well that sounds gross. Take it off to sleep and shower at least."

"Not happening. I can't believe I didn't get you anything. I'm going to—"

"Do nothing. I actually got myself something in your name." He slid an identically wrapped present over to Harry, who, feeling silly, slid it back. Draco made a show of being surprised.

"Oh, my goodness, you shouldn't have!" He simpered.

"Shut up and open it, you git." Draco laughed again as he tore the paper. It was the same silver bracelet.

"I hope you don't mind, but I liked the design." He said as he slipped it onto his own wrist.

"No, I don't mind," Harry said, reaching out his right hand to grasp Draco's. "Now we're matching. I sort of like that."

"I do too."

"But what if someone makes the connection that we're wearing matching friendship bracelets?"

Draco shook his head. "There's a charm on both of them. If someone looks at your wrist, their eyes will just slide past it, not noticing anything. Same on mine. No one will know anything."

"You always think of everything."

They got up soon after that to start dancing. The little radio played slow songs the whole night and Harry spent a moment wondering if it was somehow Draco's doing before deciding it worked in his favor, so he didn't care. They kissed for a while standing, then moved over to the cushions. Nothing happened beyond kissing lightly, it never got too heavy. There was just something so sweet and romantic in the air, it called for long and loving.

Harry missed curfew by several minutes and was berated by Hermione. It was worth it.

* * *

"What did I tell you?" Draco asked after the second task. "First place! Harry, you are going to win this thing, I know it!" Harry had indeed come in first place. Draco had figured out a potion that allowed him to not have to breathe in until an antidote was taken. Draco had also pointed out that because of the word 'sore' in the song, it implied it would be a living thing being taken. Harry was horrified, but Draco had pointed out that there would be safety lines drawn up, and they wouldn't just let people die if they failed.

Harry had listened, he had, but when he saw Fleur panicking on the shore, he dove back down to save her little sister, leaving Ron to swim back. He passed Cedric and Krum on the way and was therefore the last one officially back, but the judges decided to award him as if he was first due to Ron making it back before any of the other hostages, as well as his high morality for going back to get Gabrielle.

"What's my reward?" Harry asked as he leaned forward in his armchair in their room. Draco leaned forward as well.

"Besides being in first place? What would you like?" Harry hummed thoughtfully.

"I have a couple ideas," Harry said, inching forward until their lips were inches apart.

"I'm interested in hearing all your ideas and opinions," Draco murmured, just before their lips met.

Harry went to sit sideways in Draco's lap. He wrapped his fingers through Draco's blonde hair. He pulled him as close as they could get in this position but for once, it wasn't enough.

Draco let out a moan, and Harry found it so delicious he wanted another one. So, he went for the jugular, literally. He kissed and licked, cataloging each and every gasp and moan. His neck started to hurt at some point and pulled Draco forward, aiming for the cushion pit in front of the chairs. He wanted more. What would it be like to feel them together?

Draco leaned to the left, but Harry grasped his robes at his waist and moved him where he wanted him, which was directly on top of him. Draco relented after a brief moment, making sure it was what Harry really wanted. They both groaned as the full weight of Draco came upon him.

Draco waited for Harry to squirm, indicating he wanted Draco to get off, or stay tensed, indicating he wanted a hug. Instead, he relaxed into the cushions and moved his head up and down, nuzzling his ear against Draco's lips.

Draco gasped, and Harry let out a breath in return. Draco blew air against his ear again and Harry let out a strangled moan, suddenly bucking. His crotch rubbed against Draco's and it was the most wonderful thing Draco had ever felt. He lost himself in the feeling and ground himself down into Harry, groaning in his ear.

Harry felt the moment Draco let go and couldn't help but tense in response. He felt the typical panic whenever he felt Draco's hardened outline but tried to remember that this was a perfectly natural, healthy thing that was happening. He let Draco continue for several seconds before he experimentally moved his hips out towards Draco.

Draco gasped breathlessly and moaned as he attached his mouth to Harry's neck. He sucked hard several times, gaining some slight perspective and restraint and returned to Harry's ear. "Tell me this—ugh—yes—is ok?"

Harry panted- when had that started- and whispered, "yes—I like this—yes." His own grinding hips rubbed his own hardening length into the couch and feeling Draco against him was so pleasurable.

He arched his back, seeking Draco's lips, and found them attacking his. They kissed hungrily for several long moments, gyrating their hips. Harry pulled back, trying to catch his breath, and his eyes met Draco's. The tone changed then, from hot and heavy to warm and gentle. Harry felt his breath deepen as he looked into Draco's deep silver eyes. They were so expressive; serious but hopeful, desperate and patient, curious but confident. Harry brought his arms up to wrap around Draco's neck, pulling gently down.

_Are you sure,_ Draco asked with his eyes. _Yes,_ Harry answered, still pulling gently downwards. Draco swallowed, keeping his eyes on Harry's as he slowly started moving up and down, their hardened lengths rubbing together.

Nothing had ever felt as good as this felt. His skin was on fire and his insides were ready to erupt. Draco moved his hips forward rubbing gently in question and Harry returned with his own thrusts. They steadily built up a rhythm as they gasped and groaned and gyrated on each other. Their chests then lips met as Draco laid his full weight on Harry. Harry moaned into Draco's mouth feeling his entire long thin length all up and down him.

He moved his legs up and wrapped them around Draco's waist. This changed the angle they were thrusting in and it felt like they were suddenly deeper.

"Harry!" Draco cried into Harry's mouth. They were both panting heavily, gasping in between sweet little kisses. Harry placed his hands on both of Draco's cheeks and pulled until Draco's forehead was rested against his. They bumped heads slightly until their thrusting adjusted. Harry's heart was beating so fast it was almost continuous. Bump bump. Bump bump. Bump bump.

"Draco!" Harry moaned. "It feels…oh, so good." His every nerve was on fire, lit alive. They met in yet another kiss, open mouthed so they could breathe.

"So good," Draco agreed between several small, fast kisses. Harry could feel a familiar pressure near his privates, gaining weight the longer they danced together.

"Ughn," Harry warned Draco, wanting it to last but so desperately close to that decadence he just knew they would feel together. Draco moaned in excitement, questioning Harry through a kiss. They traded moans that got higher and higher as they wrapped their arms around each other, pulling the other as close as they could possibly be (while clothed). Finally, their cries met in a crescendo that matched their bodies.

They lay there panting, arms wrapped loosely around each other, and Draco scooted down slightly so that he could lay his head on Harry's chest near his shoulder, forehead pressed up against Harry's neck. Harry let himself come down slowly. He felt like he was lighter than air, floating up in the clouds. He didn't have a single care in the world.

He came to slowly, realizing that he was still under Draco, and his arm had fallen asleep, same as the rest of him. He shook his head slightly, rubbing his eyes and yawning lightly. He felt better than he ever had, other than the slight sticky situation he had occurring in his nether land.

Draco gave out a groaning sigh and sat his head up to look at Harry. "Hi." He said quietly, a large, indulgent smile on his face. Harry grinned in return, happy, sated and relaxed.

"Hi." He agreed, not entirely sure what to say not, not entirely sure he wanted to say anything.

"Harry?" Harry hummed, and Draco continued. "I just wanted to make sure. Are you ok? … After that?"

Harry hummed again, thinking. He felt ok. He wasn't panicked or scared, and he actually felt more relaxed than he had been earlier. "Yeah. I really am. I don't know what it was, I felt panicked a little at the beginning, but the more we did it, the better I felt. Maybe this means I'm over it."

Draco hummed as well. "Maybe. Just remember, what I said about going slow and making sure you're comfortable will always apply." Harry felt himself melt in response to that. Draco was so good about caring for him. He felt around for a moment before he found Draco's hand and grasped it firmly. Draco squeezed back.

When their breathing calmed, Harry felt like it wouldn't be blasphemous to talk. "What time is it?"

"After dinner. Damn. Wanna go to the kitchens?"

"Sure." Neither got up or moved much. Draco waved his wand and Harry felt the stickiness disappear, replaced by a nice clean feeling. Harry ran his hand up and down Draco's back, caressing softly.

After a while, muscles became a little sore, because they weren't on a bed just assembled couch cushions and pillows. Harry was certain they had shifted during their activities.

As they were getting up and sorting themselves out, Harry couldn't help but say, "Draco? That was really…amazing." Draco grinned and leaned over to kiss him.

With Draco under the invisibility cloak, Harry showed Draco where the kitchens were. He had expected to just grab a sandwich to go, but Dobby and his army of elves insisted on him sitting down for a hot supper. Once he revealed Draco, Dobby at least, was weary. The other elves had no qualms, however, and forced Draco to sit across from Harry.

They enjoyed their dinner, and quickly dubbed it a date that would need to be repeated. Afterwards, Harry escorted Draco back to his common room, received a kiss, and headed up to his.

* * *

Ron looked around the Great Hall and shoveled another fork-full of food into his mouth. Hermione usually bugged him not to talk around his food and for once, he was using the opportunity to do some thinking. It wasn't that he never thought, he thought all the time, despite what certain Slytherins (and brothers) thought. It was just that he enjoyed the quiet for uninterrupted contemplation. Not that it was quiet, just his friends weren't talking.

He knew he wasn't a very deep person. He was a simple man who enjoyed simple things. Food, girls, quidditch, and chess were his favorite things. He hated corned beef, maroon and Malfoy. Things were easy with him.

He looked over at Hermione above a fork of eggs. She had her nose buried in a book; nothing new there, but Ron knew it was unusual unless they were covering something new in class or she had just received a new book from owl order. He knew neither of these things applied, but just as he was wondering why she was reading today, his question was answered. She glanced up quickly, then looked back to Harry, the look she got whenever there was a puzzle to solve apparent on her face.

Ah. That had become a personal pastime of hers, spying on and contemplating Harry. He shook his head. He had almost lost Harry earlier that year because he had pushed too hard. He was still burning curious at some of the things Harry did, but he had decided that whatever it was, it wasn't worth losing Harry over. He had decided not to talk or think about whatever it was he was hiding, as insulting as it was, but this was made trickier by Hermione blatantly trying to work it out.

They had talked about it more than once. Hermione had some pretty interesting theories, and some crazy theories. He knew she hadn't told him everything, she avoided his eyes when she lied to him.

He knew Harry knew about it, Hermione was not subtle. Even as he watched, Harry looked up from his own breakfast, caught Hermione, and rolled his eyes. Hermione, who had instantly stuck the book further up her face, missed him being apparent that she was caught. It was funny, almost, how arrogant she was. Actually, it was bloody annoying. There were so many things about her he found annoying, he sometimes wondered why and how he was still friends with her.

He didn't look at Harry when he looked over at him. That would make it hard to still be in denial.

* * *

Harry sighed at his friends. They were both acting strange, but then, they had been acting strange for a while. He had been so focused on the second task that he hadn't really paid enough attention to his friends, and that was his fault. He knew they didn't mind, they had been almost as involved as he had. He wondered if it was the tournament that had them on edge?

That didn't make much sense. It didn't coincide with any of the tasks. When had it started? Well, it had gotten more intense lately, but he was thinking that they had started behaving weirder earlier this year. Maybe it was about the tournament, and they were worried about him? That didn't make a whole lot more sense. He had just won the second task, they should be becoming more confident with him.

"Did you finish the transfiguration homework, Hermione?" She had been working on it in the Common Room prior to breakfast.

All he got in response was a blushing nod before she disappeared behind her book. He knew she was giving him surreptitious looks whenever she thought he wasn't looking. She had that look on her face she got whenever she had a puzzle to solve. Was he the puzzle?

Ron had done a 180 since the beginning of the year. He was calmer, friendlier, didn't jump on him when Harry didn't want to hang out with him…

Oh.

Hermione had mentioned that Ron was jealous when they weren't speaking. Was he jealous of his friend? Of Draco, even if Ron didn't know it was him?

Boys were so much easier to understand than girls.

* * *

A month before the last task, exactly, Harry went down to the quidditch pitch to hear about the final task. It would take place in a maze on the pitch, and Harry was infuriated that they had destroyed it in the process, with all sorts of magical creatures and enchantments to hinder them from getting to the center, where the cup, and victory, lay in wait. Afterwards, Krum pulled Harry aside to ask him if he and Hermione were over. Harry tried to explain that they never were together, but before he could completely convince Krum of that, Barty Crouch stumbled up to them, raving about Voldemort and talking to a tree. Harry had gone for help, but when he got back, Crouch was gone, and Krum was stunned. They never did find Crouch.

Harry sent a letter off to Sirius detailing what had happened and got a reply the next morning. He also wrote a letter to Sirius after he had a strange dream about Voldemort in divination. Other than that, Harry's life revolved around practicing for the final task. Every opportunity he had, he was reading up on jinxes, hexes, and curses, as well as magical creatures that might be in the maze, or he was practicing new spells. He had also started running in the mornings before classes, hoping to get his stamina up.

His relationship with Draco suffered in some ways during this time. Draco seemed to think that they had no time to cuddle or snog, and instead cleared out the center of their room to make space for them to duel. One day, about a week before the task, Draco confronted Harry in public, as he did around once a week, since the ferret incident or whenever the mood struck him.

"Hey, Potter," Draco called from across the packed courtyard. "Final task is next week, and I'm taking bets to how long you'll last."

"So that's how you're getting your money. Did Daddy cut you off?" Draco growled.

"At least I have a daddy! You don't have anyone, Scarhead."

Before Harry could retort, a voice neither of them wanted to hear cut in, "Mr. Malfoy! I will not have you spouting such nonsense. Ten points from Slytherin and move it along."

Draco sneered at Harry, who growled back before moving on. There was nothing special or significant about the encounter, except it was rather short for when they stopped for each other (they sometimes had short exchanges of insults in the hallways that didn't last long) or so Harry thought.

The day of the final task, Harry woke up feeling strange. On the one hand, he knew he had prepared as much as he possibly could and felt plenty confident about his abilities. On the other hand, he was facing unknown perils against three other students that had three years of magical knowledge on him. Plus, they had all grown up in the magical world, and that experience was incalculable.

It resulted in an almost melancholy attitude for most of the morning. After breakfast, McGonagall came up to Harry and told him his family was waiting for him. Harry was confused, but when he checked, the Weasleys were there! Mr. and Mrs. Weasley as well as Bill had come. Harry spent a delightful day giving the grand tour and hanging out with them.

After he saw Bill and Fleur trading looks, he offered to introduce them. Bill had protested weakly while Harry ran off to grab Fleur. He was a bit surprised that Mrs. Weasley was rather sour after that, but Bill and Fleur were rather lost in each other. Maybe he was getting better at anything having to do with feelings. He had such a nice day he forgot to be scared of what he would have to do later that day.

* * *

Draco POV

Draco shuffled to his seat in between Vincent and Greg, looking around nervously, but trying to hide it. All around him people were finding their own seats excitedly, the bastards. Draco just wanted Harry to finish the damn task quickly and get back into his arms. These vultures were hoping to see some carnage.

He looked down at the maze but didn't see anything through the thick hedges. He wondered how they were expected to be excited about this when they couldn't see anything. _Ah_, he thought as he saw the giant screen that was slowly being spelled up over on the side. Visiomagic. He supposed this was important enough to be recorded for future generations.

It didn't take long for the task to start and Bagman to start his announcements. At the sound of a whistle, Harry entered the maze. Up on the Visiomagic screen, which had been divided into four sections for each champion, the camera followed him as he ran in.

In just a minute he came upon a fork, and the camera showed him with his spinning wand in hand before he went right. The camera shot bounced up and down as Harry ran, and zoomed over his head to focus slightly above Harry's head. He performed the spell at every fork, and before long Diggory's whistle was blown. He ran forward, and his own camera focused on him in the upper right of the screen. He also went to the right.

Meanwhile in Harry's square, he had come upon his first obstacle. It was a small pond, too wide to sneak around, too long to jump across. Harry looked back but faced forward again. He got on his hands and knees, trying to see into the dephts but presumably couldn't. He stood, thinking for less than a minute before he was casting a freezing charm on the upper part of the pond. The crowd gasped, and he moved forward, walking very carefully over the frozen water. The camera zoomed in, just as a very ugly face appeared under the ice. Draco laughed as Harry jumped and pointed at the screen and nudging Vincent with his other arm. Two dumb chortles echoed around him as the rest of the Slytherins in his section joined in. Draco and the rest had jumped too, but there was no way they were confessing that.

"Nice bit of trickery magic by Mr. Potter there," Bagman commented. Draco mostly tuned him out.

Draco was ready to strangle Harry when he realized that Diggory didn't spend nearly as much time as he should have at the pond. The idiot needed to undo the work he did so the obstacles would trip up the other contestants.

Harry's next obstacle spotted him as soon as he turned the corner. Cornish pixies came chasing after him. Harry turned and ran in the opposite direction, throwing spells over his shoulder. Then he stopped and performed a shield charm. The rest of the pixies crashed directly into it, stopping and falling unconscious immediately.

Krum's whistle had gone off when Harry was battling the pixies, and his screen came up in the lower left hand of the screen. He chose to go left at the fork.

Harry meanwhile seemed to have hit a dead end. He backtracked and went the other way instead. Diggory took a different turn than Harry had and ended up fighting some strange mist that did something to him for about five minutes before he managed to make it through.

Delacour finally entered and the maze and the final section of the screen lit up. "Took her long enough," Draco drawled for his posse. There were appreciative chuckles all around him.

"She's not even that attractive," Pansy simpered from behind Draco, for about the millionth time since she had first seen her. Draco made a face quickly before his mask slid back into place. It was necessary for the time being.

Back on the screen, Harry came to the next obstacle. It looked like a tortoise with a jewel encrusted shell, a fire crab if Draco wasn't mistaken. It reared back so it was facing away from Harry and a ball of flame shot from its rear. Harry threw himself down on the ground to avoid the fireball and rolled behind another hedge. He looked back at the crab and ducked again as a second ball came at him. Harry took a deep breath and hit a stunner directly on its bum.

The force knocked it over on its back, legs flailing in the air pathetically. Harry didn't wait for it to right itself, it was already moving back and forth, and Harry edged around it before running further.

Draco was so proud; the other three champions had all done pretty well, but they weren't passing through the trials nearly as quickly as he was. He had a hard time not smirking, but then again, that was his trademark.

All of a sudden, Fleur's camera started spinning, then went straight up, then went straight into a hedge, leaving just enough time before it went black to hear Fleur scream. The other champions stopped and looked around, weary. There were no sparks shot up, and Draco detected movement on the outer edge of the maze as several wizards entered the maze.

Harry was the last one to go back to the task at hand, and it looked like he was looking around him every couple seconds. Draco was glad if it resulted in Harry being more careful. It did, in fact, as he spotted a branch that jutted out quickly, trying to grab at him. Harry skillfully dodged it, and the rest of the hedge attacked.

Harry blasted his way a couple feet before a root managed to trip him. He hit the ground so hard flecks of dirt flew up to coat him. The branches took no time to deeply ensnare him. He crawled forward a little but couldn't break free. The crowd was on its feet, Draco included, as Harry became invisible, hidden beneath the brush.

The collective gasp from the audience paved the way for silence around the stadium. There was a beat, where Draco was seriously contemplating vaulting into the maze to save him like a bloody Gryffindor…then, a cutting curse broke through, and Harry was climbing out of the cocoon the branches made.

The crowd began applauding, Bagman was shouting, and all the noise covered up Draco's audible sigh of relief. This really was too much stress for him to deal with.

While the excitement was happening with Harry, Krum's camera acted a little funny. It zoomed past him and instead showed in front of him, with Krum completely out of sight. There was a gasp, and the camera focused on Krum for a moment, before going back to its rightful place, above and a little behind him.

A group of wizards exited the maze, carrying an unconscious Fleur Delacour hovering between them. Most of the crowd stood to get a better look.

Diggory was dealing with a centaur, who wanted to talk to him about Venus, and Diggory was too polite to tell him to stuff it. He was slowly inching away, nodding seriously, as the centaur droned on.

Harry ran into another dead end and had to back track, which took several minutes.

Meanwhile, Diggory had escaped from the centaur, and had run into Krum. Diggory smiled and asked how he was doing, and Krum sent an exploding curse that had Diggory on his back. The crowd was gasping, on their collective feet again, as the camera focused on them from different angles. Within seconds, Krum had Diggory under the cruciatus curse.

Diggory's screams echoed, and Harry stopped in his tracks. He did a double take, between the hedges behind him where Diggory's screams were coming from, and forward, where the cup was.

He backtracked. Draco caught a groan in his throat. He didn't want Harry confronting a vindictive Krum. The loveable idiot. The beautiful, wonderful idiot, who couldn't let anyone suffer if he could help it.

The camera above Harry focused to see another viewpoint of Krum and Diggory before Harry was shooting a stunner at Krum. All that could be heard throughout the stadium as Krum fell was Diggory's panting breath.

"You alright?" Harry asked as he offered a hand to Diggory.

Diggory nodded as he accepted, and Harry lifted him up. "I can't believe he wanted to win that badly."

"Didn't you see his eyes?" Harry asked as they stared down at him. "I don't think he was acting under his own power."

"You mean he was imperiused?" Diggory whispered, it was almost hard to catch. Harry nodded, and they stared down at Krum for a moment. "Send up sparks, you think?"

"I bet with those cameras they already know. But yeah, to be safe," and a second later, red sparks could be seen above the maze.

As Harry and Diggory walked, a dementor floated into an open area they were in. They both gasped and raised their wands.

"What's the incantation?" Diggory asked, white faced.

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry bellowed. A silvery white stag burst from his wand, veering directly towards the dementor. It stumbled.

"Wait a second!" Harry said, "dementors don't stumble. You're a boggart! Ridiculus!" With his spell, the dementor vanished in a puff of smoke.

Diggory stared at Harry in amazement. "You can do a corporeal patronus?"

"Professor Lupin taught me last year." Diggory gaped, along with more than half the audience. Harry strutted forward, with Diggory stumbling to keep up. They walked along together until they got to a fork. Prongs trotted along besides Harry for a little way before dissipating into the air.

"I guess it'll be a Hogwarts victory, either way."

"Good luck."

"And to you."

They separated, going to different paths. Now there were only two champions, both from the same school, the other schools seemed to lose interest a bit. Hogwarts' students, however, was leaning forward in their seats, enraptured.

Harry and Diggory both moved forward at a running pace, not running into anything for a while. Then, Diggory got caught in some golden mist, while Harry battled a gigantic spider.

After defeating the spider, Diggory was still stuck in the mist. Harry was on the path to victory; the cup was in view! He raced forward, slowing the closer he got to the cup. Draco and most of the crowd were on their feet as the camera focused on Harry slowly coming forward. He looked left and right, as if certain that something would happen. The crowd waited, Harry was a hand away from the cup, the crowd held its breath, Harry's hand was on it, the crowd applauded, and Harry vanished.

It took several seconds for anyone to realize there was something wrong.

Confused mutterings could be heard around the packed stadium, was this supposed to happen?

Draco sat back down slowly, ignoring Greg, who was asking him what he thought was happening. He had a very bad feeling, deep in the pit of his stomach. All of a sudden, the screen showing the camera that was following Harry came back on, showing Harry's confused face. He had his wand out, looking around at the graves surrounding him, before the screen was replaced by black and white dots, it looked almost like snow. Draco let out a breath, half relieved half startled, at least Harry was ok. Draco looked over to where the judges were, they were all talking quietly, leaning close together. Several teachers and other adults went over to confer.

The screen kept going in and out, showing strange images. Harry was on his knees, holding his head as if in pain, then snow. Then, the camera picked up audio.

"Get rid of whatever that is." It was a high-pitched cold voice. The viewpoint was suddenly tilted, as if the camera was shot out of the air, on its side on the ground. Draco could see grave markers, and Harry tied up to one of them. He couldn't take this. He felt his stomach freeze, dread seeping into every pore in his body.

"What's Potter gotten himself into this time?" The voice came from behind him, and Draco had a hard time not turning around and throwing a hard punch directly into the nose of whoever had said that, Draco was too busy focusing on not doing that to know who it was. He needed to try to keep the mask in place, this was Harry Potter he was thinking about, he would be fine, and he wouldn't appreciate Draco throwing years of pretending down the drain because he had a weak moment.

Back on the screen, which had faded to snow, then black, showed Harry again, and there was a figure standing directly in front of him. Before Draco could see who it was, the screen cut out again. He was seriously panicking, now. Harry was in an unknown location, with who knew who, for some unknown reason, and it definitely wasn't friendly. The time had come to reveal that he did care for Harry.

He wasn't expecting this moment to come until he was eighteen and about to start the rest of his life. He was still struggling with the thought of betraying his family, and he really needed the extra time to come to terms with what he would have to do. He was a proud Malfoy, and proud to be a Malfoy, there was a difference. He had spent his entire life learning about his lineage, his family, his heritage. It meant more to him than almost anything, to him there had been nothing else in the world. Then he had met Harry.

Even just standing in the shop, he had sensed there was something special about him, something that he needed to discover about him. At eleven years old, he had realized there was more to life than what had been given to him, like what he gave back. He had always taken, never provided or contributed or offered. Harry had offered him everything else he needed in life, and it was so much more than he had ever dreamed he was missing.

He would be betraying his family, of that he had no doubt. But In a way, they had already betrayed him.

What could he do?

He could go to Dumbledore, and demand that he do something. What good would that do, however? It might end up being a distraction, the teachers were no doubt already on that. He could go up to the library, look up how to detect where a portkey went, and then figure out where Harry's went. That was the best solution he could think of, but it would definitely take too long. Maybe the best thing would be to go, and demand things be done, because he simply couldn't sit there while Harry was in danger.

He was protecting their future as Malfoy, but Harry needed Draco in the present.

Just as he stood, the hedges of the maze melted into the ground, and various wizards ran forward to capture the magical creatures and beings that were in the maze. Diggory could be seen, being led away by a wizard, his parents running up to meet him. Dumbledore and Moody went to the column the Tri-Wizard Cup had been on and began waving their wands. Good, at least something was being done, now.

Draco sat back down. "What's wrong, Draco?"

Draco hummed, trying to stall. "I'm trying to figure out what Potter's doing now."

There were laughs. "What do you care? If we're lucky we'll never see him again." More laughs. Draco felt sick. He really called these people his friends, when they would wish harm on the person he loved most? None of them knew it, but he couldn't stomach bad things being said about Harry. The conversation went on, making bets, making fun of Harry, generally being awful humans. Draco felt more and more sick the longer it went on. He had a brief epiphany moment where he realized his friendships with these people wouldn't last. They all hated Harry, whom he loved, something would have to give, and it wasn't going to be him.

Had they ever really been his friends though? What he had with them wasn't what Harry had with Granger and Weasley. None of his friends would stand up for him in a fight unless they were backed up, this he knew from experience. Whenever he wanted to do something against the school rules, he couldn't find anyone to help him. In fact, he would only get help if it benefitted them. Harry gave selflessly, and while he was an extreme example, isn't that what friends were supposed to do?

These people around him were acquaintances, classmates, associates of circumstance and contacts of potential. He didn't have anyone. Not really.

Tears pooled in his eyes, but he choked them back, there was no way he was going to become a sobbing mess right now. He needed to keep a cool head if he wanted to come out of this intact. He had Harry. That was enough for him.

It was probably unhealthy, but what could he do? These were the colleagues his Father had chosen for him, that were his chosen family while at Hogwarts. In a couple years, he would deal with it, but for now, acquaintances would have to do in the place of friends.

Abruptly, the screen showing Harry snapped back on, and Harry was there, in the middle of where the maze used to be, body clutched in his arm.

The stadium stood, and it was louder than it had been. Harry slowly sat up as he was surrounded by people and he vanished from Draco's view. The camera floated above for another minute before a wizard wearing forest green robes came forward to get it.

Draco stood again, hoping to get a better view of Harry. Harry, who was being led away by Moody. He wondered where he was being taken. He sat again, he was safe now, and as much as it killed him, he would have to wait until later to find out what had happened. Now that the danger had passed, he was sobering up. He had a cover to protect, for Harry. Harry needed him to be Malfoy.

Harry was still panting, still quite a bit out of it, as he was pushed into a chair. He had just witnessed Voldemort return. He had seen Voldemort come back to life. Voldemort had just risen from a cauldron, alive, and Harry had been there.

Moody had dragged him off just minutes after Harry had returned to the quidditch pitch with Peter Pettigrew clutched in his grasp. He had stunned and grabbed him, then summoned in the portkey cup.

Harry jumped as Moody slapped him across the face. He touched his cheek in bewilderment. "You were panicking, Potter. Now pay attention, how did the Dark Lord treat his followers?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did he punish them? Did he torture them? Make them pay for abandoning him?"

"Wha'…no. Well yes, he put a couple under the cruciatus, but he said he forgave them."

Moody growled. "He forgave them? All of them? Even that sniveling bastard, Malfoy?"

"How did you know Malfoy was there? Why do you care?"

"Malfoy was the Dark Lord's right-hand man. But he doesn't deserve it. Especially when he has a son that's consorting with the enemy."

Harry suddenly realized Moody had his wand out, pointing at him, and he felt the sense of dread that he had been experiencing settle in his stomach.

"You're a Death Eater."

"Not just any Death Eater, Potter. His most loyal servant, and I shall replace Malfoy in the ranks when he finds out about you and his son." Moody started laughing, slightly hysterically, just as the door banged open.

* * *

"It's just me," Draco whispered from under the cloak. Harry nodded, and Draco removed his hand from Harry's mouth. It was late, well after curfew, and Harry was in his hospital bed. It was later, after he had been rescued from Moody by Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape. After he had been led to Dumbledore's office, gone to the hospital wing, and told the Weasleys that Voldemort had returned. After the first time he had woken up to find the Minister yelling. Sirius had been following him since they had met up in Dumbledore's office. He was now at the foot of Harry's bed in dog form, and Draco had very cautiously woken Harry.

"What are you doing here," Harry whispered, barely audible.

"I had to see you, make sure you were ok."

Harry hummed, and pulled Draco to him in a hug. "I'm ok, now." He whispered in Draco's ear, who shivered.

They stood there, slowly swaying and comforting each other. Then, there was a loud bark.

Harry swung around. "Sirius, shut up!" Harry hissed, his eye going to Madam Pomfrey's door.

Sirius stopped, tilting his doggy head, his eyes going back and forth between Draco and Harry. Harry sighed, unsure what to do. He turned to Draco, trying to express hopefulness in his eyes. Sirius wouldn't tell anyone, he knew he wouldn't.

Draco bit his lip, looking between Harry and the dog form of Sirius. Slowly, he nodded to Harry. Harry let out a breath of air, he was finally going to be able to tell someone he really cared about, about Draco. Eagerly, he turned to Sirius, moving over so Draco could sit next to him at the head of the bed.

"Sirius, you can transform. Draco already knows about you." Sirius gave him a stunned look, before standing and indeed transforming. He sat on the bed slowly, now in human form. He stared at Draco.

"I thought only Ron and Hermione knew about me." He said cautiously.

"I told Draco too." Harry said, wishing he could take Draco's hand, but not sure he should give Sirius too much information. Maybe he could wait and see if he said anything about Draco to anyone before telling Sirius they were together.

"Draco? As in the Malfoy boy? Harry…can I speak to you, alone?"

"Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of Draco." He put a hand on Draco's shoulder. "We've been friends since before our first year, Sirius. His father doesn't want me being friends with him, so we pretend we're not, in public. When we're away from the other students, who would gossip, and news would get back to Mr. Malfoy, we're friends. I haven't told anyone, except this girl I took to the Yule Ball, but she hasn't said anything. Oh, and Madam Pomfrey caught us once, but she said she wouldn't say anything either. Please don't tell anyone. Draco's my best friend. I don't want to lose him."

Sirius continued staring. Harry and Draco traded nervous looks. Finally, Sirius spoke. "Harry, I don't want to judge prematurely, but this young man comes from a very dark family. His father is a Death Eater, as I know you know. If you say that he's good, I'll believe you, but are you absolutely sure?"

Harry nodded. "I think I know Draco better than anyone, Sirius. He acts like an arse to me in public, because he has to, he's nice to me. He's really nice; he treats me better than anyone ever has. He is kind, brilliant and gentle, and really funny. I would trust him with my life."

Sirius looked at him very seriously. "Alright Harry." He stuck his hand out to Draco. "Any friend of Harry's is alright in my book. Nice to meet you, Draco."

"Charmed to meet you as well, sir."

"Oh, none of that," Sirius let out a startled laugh. "Call me Sirius, or Snuffles, in dog form."

"Alright then." Draco nodded. Harry looked at him, considering. He really wanted to see if Sirius was ok with them being together, as well. He still couldn't make up his mind, however. He was a little afraid of Sirius being homophobic, and a boy being with his godson might tip the edge of the scale, and forbid Harry from Draco, or ensure that Lucius found out about them. That would be cruel, and Harry couldn't see Sirius reacting like that, but Harry couldn't shake the fear.

"Harry?" Both Sirius and Draco were looking at him.

"Huh?"

"God Harry, sometimes you drive me mad. I asked what happened, when you disappeared earlier." Sirius growled lowly, but Harry and Draco ignored him.

Harry tensed. "Draco, I saw Voldemort. He came back, he has a body now."

Draco went pale, paler than Harry had ever seen him. "No," he whispered.

"Peter Pettigrew was there. I brought him back. Dumbledore thinks there might be a serious chance that Sirius will get off." Draco looked to Sirius, who was smiling happily. "But Draco, he called his followers, and your father was there." Draco closed his eyes, and just as slowly lowered his head. Harry leaned forward and pulled him into a hug.

"What else happened?" Draco asked, still holding Harry, several minutes later.

"I dueled him. The wands did something strange, I think Dumbledore called it 'prior incantatem'. I saw my parents." Harry paused, choked up, and Draco squeezed, moving them back and forth in a gentle sway.

Harry took a deep breath. "They told me to get the cup, and they distracted Voldemort while I got away. But I grabbed Pettigrew before I left and summoned the cup to me, so I brought him back with me. Then, Moody dragged me off. It turns out he was Barty Crouch Jr. He tried to do me in, but Dumbledore came and stunned him." Draco felt guilt at that. Maybe if he had followed Harry, he wouldn't have gotten hurt. "He was the one that put my name in the Goblet of Fire, he's been making moves all year trying to make sure I won this tournament, to get me to that graveyard. Voldemort wanted to use my blood in a ritual that brought him back, and now he's stronger than ever. The protection my mother gave me when she died is useless now."

"Dumbledore thinks having Pettigrew might be enough for my freedom." Sirius began, in a low voice to cover the silence. "He says not to get my hopes up, especially considering Crouch Jr. got kissed this afternoon. Luckily McGonagall was able to prevent Pettigrew from the same fate, or we'd be having a different conversation. Understandably, Dumbledore has a lot to deal with, Voldemort's return and all that. He says he might be able to get me a court date soon."

"I still don't understand how they wouldn't find you innocent with Pettigrew." Harry directed to Sirius.

"I don't either, Pup. I'm sure everything will be ok, let's not worry about that, now."

Harry returned to his story. "Things got complicated with Fudge, he came in while I was sleeping, earlier. He doesn't want to believe that Voldemort's back. He thinks that Crouch Jr. and Pettigrew were working together, and they kidnapped me, and he's willing to believe there was a Death Eater meeting, but he's not willing to say that Voldemort's back, despite the evidence."

"That's ridiculous! How are people supposed to defend themselves if they don't know he's back? This is bad, Harry, Fudge has a lot of power, he can make people do things, say what he wants. I'm afraid of what will happen if he doesn't come out and tell the truth."

They held each other for a long time. "Are you sure there's nothing more than friendship between the two of you?" Sirius asked lowly, an unreadable expression on his face. Harry and Draco exchanged a startled look, each trying to get permission.

"Er…" Harry said, intelligently.

Sirius smiled. "Because if there is, that's great! I'm glad my godson has someone special like that. So?"

Harry smiled, relieved. "We're together. Have been for over a year." Sirius laughed again.

"Harry, you sly dog! Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm sorry. I just wasn't sure how you'd react."

"Ah, I don't care who you're with, as long as they make you happy. Besides, it'd be pretty hypocritical. I had a couple boyfriends in my life."

"You did? I didn't know you were gay!" Harry felt kinship with his godfather swell. He could use the distraction, and he was sure Draco could too. He hadn't met any males interested in other males other than Draco.

"Sure. But I'm not gay, I'm bi."

"So am I!" Harry exclaimed.

"Well I'm gay, for the record." Draco drawled, sitting back, his eyes shining bright, taking Harry's hand.

"When did you figure it out?" Sirius asked, leaning forward and grinning.

"I guess earlier this year I knew for sure. Draco got me this book that explained the different sexualities, and I figured that was it 'cause I've had crushes on both boys and girls before. I just didn't know it was normal."

"I think I've always known. Father kept trying to set me up with girls, but I wasn't interested in a single one. When I started crushing on Harry, it was pretty undeniable."

Sirius laughed. "For me, it was the same. I was a bit of a free spirit as a teenager, didn't stay with anyone for too long. Except…" He shook his head. "Anyway, if you've been together a year and you're still happy, you're doing something right. If either of you feel like you need to talk to someone other than each other, feel free to write to me. I know how complicated relationships can get, and it can't be easy having a secret relationship. How does that work anyway?"

"Thank you, Sirius." Draco smiled. "We found this room second year, an abandoned classroom in the dungeons. We cast some spells to keep people away, and we meet up at least once a week. We also send letters to each other. Our friends all know we have a pen pal, and we just use fake names. If we see each other in the halls, we'll trade insults, but I find that rather entertaining." He turned to Harry, who grinned.

"Yeah, it's become fun to figure out creative names for each other. We're going to run out soon, and I'm not sure what we'll do then."

"We'll probably just start throwing things at each other."

"Or walk in complete silence."

"Or use blanks. Go blank yourself you blank blank."

"Oh god, we'll have to switch to compliments."

"Then we might as well come out and start kissing when we see each other."

They were both laughing. "Can you imagine the reactions?"

"I can't wait." They fell over they were laughing so hard.

Sirius shushed them, looking to Pomfrey's door. They put a hand on the other's mouth, shushing each other through their fingers and giggling. Sirius smiled again as he watched them. He checked his watch.

"It's getting late, chaps. As much as I'm enjoying this, I think it's about time to say goodnight." He stood and went off to cast a spell on the door.

Harry turned to Draco. "I wish you could stay." The distraction had worked as intended and Harry felt a lot better, but he was still terrified, and he didn't want to sleep. Having Sirius close by was helping, but the time he and Draco had fallen asleep together, he had never slept better.

Draco considered him. "How would you feel about me staying?"

Harry blinked. "What if someone comes in?"

"I'll stay under the cloak and set an alarm for early. No one will ever know I'm here, other than your godfather."

"I don't know, Baby, it's a big risk."

Draco scowled, presumably at the name. "All I care about is what you want. I had a difficult time today, and all I want to do is hold you. If you don't want to, that's fine, but if I'm your only reason not to, then let me."

Harry cocked his head and cupped one of Draco's cheeks. "Ok. Stay with me?"

Draco nodded.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea," Sirius said, awkwardly stepping from behind the curtain. He scratched his head.

Harry blushed, he knew that it wasn't normal for a couple to sleep together, literally, in the hospital wing, but he really wanted Draco. "Please, Sirius. I really need him to stay."

"You need him to, huh?" Sirius asked doubtfully.

"Sirius, I promise nothing untoward will happen. We just want to be near each other. After the day we had? Please?"

"So, you will sleep in the next bed over then?"

Harry blinked. "That wouldn't make any sense. If someone came in, they'd see an invisible person under the covers, if he's with me, it won't be as obvious."

"I cast a spell that's going to warn me if someone comes in."

"So, what's the problem?" Sirius's eyes narrowed. He was silent for a minute.

"Alright. I'll close the curtains and bark if someone comes over here. No funny business, I'll be right outside on the ground."

Harry blushed again. "Thanks, Sirius."

"Yeah, thanks, Sirius. It was nice making your acquaintance, if I don't see you on my way out." Sirius nodded before he vanished behind the closed curtains.

"Who would have thought, the first time we sleep in a bed together, and it's in the hospital wing with your godfather standing guard."

Harry snorted lowly, settling into bed and Draco, facing him. Draco wrapped his arm around Harry, rubbing his back gently. "I'm proud of you, for everything that you did today. I love you, Sweetheart." Draco whispered into his hair.

Harry tightened his hold on Draco, pulling him a little closer. "I love you too, Baby." Draco growled playfully and kissed his head. Harry sighed happily. Even if everything seemed to have gotten much worse, it was so much better knowing that whatever he had to face next, Draco would be with him.

They shared a quick peck then settled back into the bed, pulling the covers over Draco as well. Draco disappeared under the invisibility cloak, and Harry settled into him on his side. Draco stilled his arm around Harry's waist lightly and Harry loved the weight of it. He felt Draco's lips against his forehead before there was a whispered, "Sweet dreams."

"Good night, my love. Sweet dreams."

* * *

Albus Dumbledore sighed lightly as he cast a spell to muffle his footsteps. It was very early morning, very few occupants of the castle were awake. It was his favorite time of day, before the hustle and bustle of busy students cramming studying and homework they should have completed the night before, the birds were still singing—he had enchanted his bedroom window, so they would be the first thing he heard every morning. He supposed it was a part of being so ancient that he enjoyed the quiet stillness of the morning.

He had no reason to fear being discovered, he simply didn't want to wake Harry, or his canine dogfather, quite yet. He had been exhausted the day previously and had fallen asleep early enough that Albus assumed he would be up soon. He had something important to discuss with Harry and he hadn't wanted to tack it on to the discussion the previous day with Harry already having to deal with so much trauma. He also didn't want Sirius to find out, he doubted he knew already.

Albus chuckled when he reached the hospital wing door. Sirius's signature was all over it, sloppy, but then, it was most likely to alert him to students entering, not professors who could easily detect and dismantle it. He was a talented wizard, there was no question about that, but he tended to favor big and noisy, which was not always wise in combat. Albus himself preferred subtle magic, hiding in plain sight. He made easy work of dismantling the wards, keeping them up but allowing himself passage inside without setting off any alarms.

Sirius was snoozing, snoring softly in his canine form. He might have been even more tired than Harry was. Albus stepped quietly around him, pulled the curtains for Harry's bed out and froze.

Albus was very, very old. Not very many things surprised him anymore, and it had been quite a long time since he had a shock of this magnitude. Why, the last time he had been surprised had involved these two as well.

Harry Potter was laying on his side, fast asleep, small smile on his face. That, after his experience the previous day, was surprising enough. What absolutely floored Albus, however, was the boy curled around him, holding him close to his chest. Draco Malfoy was also on his side, arm loosely wrapped around Harry, face buried in his hair, but Albus could definitely detect a smile on his face as well. Part of his body was obscured, as if an invisibility cloak had been wrapped around him.

Albus conjured a chair and sat down heavily. He really was too old for this. He disillusioned himself and the chair as well, just in case either occupant of the bed were to awaken before he had a chance to decide what to do.

It was Mr. Malfoy, Draco, that Albus had come to discuss with Harry. He really should have expected this, but they were very talented at their deception. There must be a very good reason for it.

_This last February, in preparation for the second task, the panel of judges had sat in Albus's office, around a table that held a device. It was silver, old, and weird. Albus had many similar objects in his possession, but this one in particular had a unique purpose. It detected desire. Not in the way the Mirror of Erised did, it could be calibrated to detect desire for anything. A favorite beverage, one's favorite quidditch team, a person's likely career choice. It could even detect the person most important to a person. There was very little use for it practically, unless you wanted to be able to predict how the future would play out. It was a mysterious object, even Albus wasn't entirely sure how it worked, but it had never been wrong. _

_He suspected it used a little bit of divination, though not the kind that depended on human error. All one had to do is write down a person's full name on one side of a piece of parchment, on the other write what one wanted to find out (a favorite person, perhaps), and insert it into the machine in one hole with a lock of hair to the other. It would whirr, clank, and purr, ding, then another piece of parchment (or perhaps the same one with the ink erased, did the original just disappear?) would come out the other side. _

_Madam Maxime and Igor Karkaroff had already received their answers for their champions, as had Albus for Mr. Diggory. All they waited on was Harry's. It seemed to take longer than the others had, for some reason, although that might just be Albus's mind playing a trick on him, it tended to do that from time to time. He was worried that the parchment would read: Sirius Black. He had a plan in place for that eventuality, he would simply say it read: Ron Weasley. It was easy enough to believe and wouldn't raise any eyebrows. _

_The device pinged, and parchment was fed through the escape. Albus caught it before it could fall and raised it up to his eyes and received the first shock he had experienced in a long time. _

_Printed on the parchment, clear as day, read: Draco Malfoy. Albus stared. _

_His first thought was that the machine had made a mistake. It beeped, as if it could hear Albus's thought and protested. Even without that, he found it hard to believe that the machine would choose now to break. That left him with two possibilities. _

_Harry must want Draco in some way, whether it be as a friend or as something more. He knew that they had been friendly before the train ride their first year, of course. Hagrid had seen fit to warn him when Harry wouldn't stop talking about the blonde boy, Draco, his first friend. He was rather relieved when Lucius Malfoy put a stop to it. _

_There was absolutely no way they were friends currently. Draco and Harry fought like he hadn't seen in decades after that. It reminded him of his own rivalry (and romance) with Gellert. He quickly turned away from that line of thinking. _

_Albus restrained himself from sighing. Harry was so innocent and pure. He must remember Draco, the Draco that had been kind to him, not the Draco that took every opportunity to torment him. Harry remembered his first friend, and Albus knew Draco had been his first, Arabella Figg's reports had been clear on that. _

_Harry couldn't be any more loyal. Harboring a secret longing for the boy that bullied him. It was sweet, and endearing. It did, however, need to be stopped. Harry could not be tempted by the side of darkness, as Severus had been. If he had fallen for any other person, someone from Gryffindor, Albus would not have interfered. Feelings, he knew better than anyone, could sway a person from even their deepest-rooted morals, and Harry was the last person on earth that could be swayed. He had a very important job to do. _

_It would be sad when Harry died, deeply sad. Albus hadn't expected to be so fond of his martyr. He wished Harry all the happiness he could while he was still alive. That did not mean he would let the opportunity for Harry to decide he couldn't sacrifice himself, however. He had his suspicions that Harry would live. It was not a suspicion rooted in logic, but rather, as the kid's called it, a gut feeling. _

_He valued logic and knowledge above many things, but after such a long life, he had learned the value of subconscious belief. It played a part in everyday life and could not be dissuaded by cool logic and hard fact. _

_After Harry died, if he survived, (funny thought) he could do whatever he wanted. He could travel the world, play professional quidditch and marry the person of his dreams, if that was what he desired. Until then, however, Albus had a plan for him, and it could not be interrupted by the likes of Draco Malfoy. _

_The boy was too much like his Father. Albus knew he would take the Dark Mark and rise in the ranks of Death Eaters just as his Father had done when Tom Riddle returned. Years from now, they could be in a fight, and Harry might hesitate, even for just a moment, and his mistake could be fatal. That was a best-case scenario. A worst case might be that Draco seduces Harry to the dark side. If that were to happen, all would be lost. _

_A cough interrupted his musings. It was Igor, and Albus realized he had been staring at the parchment for far too long. _

_"My apologies," He said, lowering the parchment from their eyes. "I'm afraid I just had what my students might call a 'senior moment.' Please forgive me. Harry Potter's hostage shall be Ron Weasley."_

Albus took a deep breath as he watched the two sleep. He acknowledged briefly that what he was doing could be considered creepy, but there were much more important factors at play.

He had been wrong, on several accounts, obviously, and it was not a feeling he took to comfortably.

Draco obviously returned whatever feelings Harry had for him, and he would be even more surprised if they weren't more than friends. Even close friends rarely slept in the same bed together. No, he was looking at a couple. This changed everything.

He never would have suspected these two were close, much less friends, much less lovers. For a brief moment, he was happy for both of them. He was reminded again of him and Gellert, and he was ecstatic that love had triumphed for at least one of them. This did mean a change of plan was in order, however.

Draco took a deep breath and pulled Harry closer to him with his free arm. Harry made a hum of appreciation before turning his head, so it was closer to Draco's. Neither woke.

As far as he was concerned, this meant that Draco was firmly on the side of good, not evil, like his Father and like Albus had thought. He had thought that for the two to be friends, Harry would have to sacrifice his good nature and join the darkness. Another device in his office had confirmed that very morning that Harry was one-hundred percent pure light, however. He would need to take one of Draco's hairs to confirm the same for him, but he knew he would be correct this time.

After a quick cutting curse to the blonde's locks, Albus sat back, still considering. If Draco was on the side of light, he would need protecting. Perhaps that is why the boys had so vehemently opposed their joining in the public eye. Albus did know that Lucius had forbidden even friendship between the two, so they had gone around him. It was brilliant, a well-executed plan, that had tricked even him. That was saying something, if he did say so himself.

He had grown fonder of Harry than he had ever dreamed he would. Harry's courage in the face of Voldemort had increased the protective instinct he found in himself for the boy. He wished him happiness, and knew that if he had someone special, he would do anything for that person.

That meant that Draco had just become the second most important person in the wizarding world. He would need guidance, and help, and Albus needed to ensure he received it. He would talk to Severus later that day and put forth into motion plans he had already formulated while simply sitting there.

He should leave them to their peace, but he stayed a few moments longer. It really was a sweet sight. He hoped they enjoyed these quiet moments, they would be fewer and fewer as the years went on.

Just as he was about to leave, Draco's wand began vibrating on the nightstand. He breathed in and out deeply before blindly touching it to turn it off. Harry stirred but did not awaken as Draco detached himself from Harry. Albus smiled, invisible to him, as Draco leaned over Harry to whisper something in his ear before kissing his cheek long and lingering. Draco stood slowly, running his hand down Harry's side before he departed, taking one last look before he disappeared behind the curtain.

Albus hadn't needed any confirmation of their romantic relationship, but he certainly had it. He frowned. He wouldn't speak to Harry today, he decided. There was nothing to say at this point, besides perhaps a congratulations. He had a feeling they would both be more comfortable with fewer people knowing about them. He wondered if Sirius knew, the sly dog.

* * *

"Why didn't you tell us?"

Draco paused in his obsessive touchup as he took in Vincent's question. "As much as I may seem it, I'm not omnipotent, and as such, have no idea as to what you are referring to." He drawled.

As always, it took a minute for Vincent and Greggory to translate what he had said. Once they did, Greg finally said, "why didn't you tell us about the Dark Lord's return?"

Draco paled. "How did you hear of that?"

"Stop being coy, Draco. Our fathers wrote to us. We know you know, that's why you were acting so weird when Potter was taken."

Draco sighed. Here it was, his first test as a loyal Death Eater's son. "Aright. You caught me. My father may have implied that something would be happening soon, but I wasn't sure what. Not a common occurrence, I assure you."

"Huh." Vince and Greg traded looks. They had always been closer to each other than Draco was to either of them. Draco turned back to his mirror, waiting for them to say something else. Instead, they went about packing their own things. Draco was surprised. That had been a rather short confrontation, and Draco wondered what they wanted.

He had noticed, though no one else would have, that his hair had been cut on the right side and was now slightly uneven. He knew that no one would notice it, but he did and that was important. With skillful rearrangement, his hair was at an acceptable (perfect) level.

As soon as he was done, he closed the curtains around his bed to regain some privacy. His first test had presumably gone well, but that didn't mean he felt good about it. Things were about to get very difficult, for him and Harry. Of course, things had been difficult before, and they, as a couple, had been fine. Draco knew that as long as they were together, things would work out for the best.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! And thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, I appreciate it.**


	7. Year 5 Part I

**A/N: Trigger warning for child abuse in this chapter. It's vague, non-graphic, and the direct happening is only implication, but I wanted a warning anyway. If you want to skip that section anyway, it's the very small section after this one. ****There is dealing with it later, however.**

Harry sighed, somewhat happily, from his position, under the window to the living room, hiding behind his Aunt Petunia's hydrangea bush, listening to the news. It was the only way he could listen, as he was chased out of the room whenever he attempted to listen with his aunt and uncle. He had, of course, been reading the Daily Prophet, but they seemed to be refusing to print actual news. Draco had been the one to accidentally tell him that they were making a mockery of his name, instead of the newspaper doing its job. Draco thought Harry was reading more than just the headlines and made sure he did after that.

"Knowledge is power," one of his letters stated. He didn't like the sentiment, but he could acknowledge that there might be something strange hidden in there, as Draco had also pointed out. So, he was devouring any piece of news he could.

The silence and peace of Privet Drive was suddenly broken as a loud crack reverberated through the air. Harry slammed his head on the windowsill he sat up so fast. Eyes watering and head dizzyingly hurt, he looked around, hoping that it was a wizard apparating and not disapparating. It could have been a car backfiring, he supposed, but that crack was rather distinctive.

A bellow was heard from behind him, and he turned to see his uncle charging toward him like an angry rhinoceros. He didn't have time to do anything other than choke as his uncle's hands squeezed around his neck. He gasped in breaths of air, with difficulty. His hands came up, trying to free himself from his uncle's grip. The world was spinning, and he was out of breath, was he dying?

"What do you think you're playing at?" Uncle Vernon hissed, still squeezing and shaking.

Just as quickly as everything started, Harry felt something like electricity in his hands, traveling up to meet his Uncle's. He bellowed, and released Harry, who fell into the window.

All up and down the street, eyes were poking out from behind curtains trying to see the drama unfolding. Uncle Vernon waved until they disappeared as Harry tried to catch his breath. He was stunned. The oaf had hurt him before, but never tried to kill him, and over what?

Still gasping, he crept away, crawling through the bushes. He had promised Draco some months ago that if he felt unsafe, he would leave, and he definitely felt in danger right now.

"Where do you think you're going?" Uncle Vernon rounded on him. Harry jumped, he would not be scared, he repeated to himself.

"I'm leaving." His voice shook a little.

"Get back here, boy! I won't have you doing your—"

"Vernon! The neighbors!"

"—In my house!"

"It wasn't me!"

"Who else could it have been, you nasty little liar?"

Harry opened his mouth, but his Aunt appeared next to Vernon. "Just what were you doing under our window?"

"Ah, yes, good point, Petunia! What were you doing under our window, boy?"

Harry gulped. "I was listening to the news."

"Listening to the news? What young man wants to listen to the news? Why Dudley doesn't even know who the prime minister is!"

"Vernon keep your voice down, the neighbors."

"Quite right, Petunia dear. Boy! Either get out or go to your room before your aunt finds something for you to do!"

Harry didn't need to be told twice. He was out of there like a lightening bolt. He went to the park and sat on the swings for a while, trying to come up with a plan. This summer had been one of the worst ones. He kept waiting for something to happen, but nothing ever did. He wanted to leave, had been begging in every letter to his friends but they always said, as vaguely as possible, no. He had even asked Sirius if he could stay with him, wherever he was, but Sirius had also said, much kindlier, no.

You wouldn't like where I am, Sirius had written. You'll have much more fun where you are. Harry sighed. It was his own fault for not telling Sirius how bad things were. He hadn't lied to Draco when he said the Dursleys didn't touch him much anymore, but they still berated him and called him names whenever they could. They also gave him a list of chores every day, and if he didn't finish, he didn't get dinner. Or breakfast the next morning. Since it took him so long to get the chores done anyway, he needed the time he could've been eating.

He was very close to just going to the Leaky Cauldron, like Draco had suggested. He just knew someone would find out about his situation, however, and it was the same problem as telling someone what was wrong. Whoever he told would look at him strangely, and then other people would find out, and he would be a freak again. He hated that feeling, more than anything else, so he didn't let people find out.

Draco was special. Draco loved him. Draco had never looked at him like he was a freak, even when they were fighting. He had been gradually telling Harry how wrong it was that he was neglected by the Dursleys, and Harry was actually starting to believe him. His Uncle had lost his temper and could very well have killed him, after all. Perhaps he should leave and never return. He didn't need to tell anyone where he was, after all.

He caught sight of Dudley in the distance. He was itching for a fight and wished that he and his gang would come over to him. Keep your head down, echoed in his head, from one of Sirius's letters. He would. He wouldn't go over there and start a fight.

He waited several minutes then decided to head back to the Dursley's. He'd go straight to his room and not talk to anyone. After walking for a bit, he caught up to Dudley, saying goodbye to his gang. "Hey Big D!" He called after they departed.

He and Dudley started talking. Just when Harry was ready to use his wand, a streetlight went out. Then another, and another. The air began to chill. It was two dementors.

* * *

He was leaving. Privet Drive was no longer safe, and he had promised Draco. That was before Mr. Weasley's owl came. If it was Mr. Weasley saying so, maybe he would come get him. So, he waited. And waited. And waited.

Vernon Dursley was not happy with him and took his anger out on Harry. It was the worst punishment he had ever had. He was sure the punishment did not fit the crime, considering he had saved his son's life. The logic was lost on Vernon Dursley.

* * *

Harry entered the dark and dreary house with trepidation, upon Moody's insistent pushing. Number twelve Grimaud Place was just as dark on the inside as it was on the outside. He was being pushed inside by members of a guard who had just flown him across country on broomsticks. He rather liked a lot of them, Tonks in particular was nice. It was wonderful seeing Professor Lupin again, as well.

Before he knew what was happening, there was screaming coming from right in front of him, he was being pushed, a light came on, and a man was trying to close curtains over the screaming portrait. Lupin went to go help, and together they achieved their goal. The other man pushed his hair out of the way, turning, and Harry recognized his godfather, Sirius Black.

"Sirius," Harry cried, running forward to hug him. Sirius laughed as he embraced Harry, ruffling his hair first. It stung around his ribs, but there was no way that was going to stop him.

"Hey hey, kiddo, how you doing?"

"Alright."

Sirius smiled at him before addressing the mass of people behind Harry. "He's here already, meeting will start in a minute." There were interested murmurs as the crowd moved down the hallway to a door.

"Who's here? Meeting for what?"

Sirius grinned at him. "I'll explain later, this one's adults only. Your friends are upstairs, first room on the right."

"If I don't want to see them?" Sirius's smile fell off his face.

"I guess you can go to the library, I'll show you where it is. Tell them I'll be there soon," he added to Lupin, who nodded.

The rest of the house was just as darkened and awful. Finally, they got to the library. "Be careful which books you pick up, some of these are very dark. I think these should be pretty safe. Now, why don't you want to see your friends?"

"Because I'm angry with them." They had barely talked to him all summer, and when they did, they bragged about how they were together or told him to stay out of trouble. Harry hadn't had that great of a summer. Harry knew most of this wasn't Ron and Hermione's fault, but he couldn't help being cross with them for their part.

"Uh-huh. Well, we'll talk about that later, I'm late for the meeting. Have fun." With that, he left. Harry looked around the library with interest. He picked up a book at random.

"The Basics to Portkey Making" was the title. Harry opened the book with interest, hoping to learn how to detect if an object was a portkey. He read for a long time before the door banged open.

"Harry!" Came the choir of three voices that all converged on Harry. Two red masses and one brown stepped back, and Harry was able to distinguish their differences: Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.

"It's so good to see you!"

"How have you been, mate?"

"How's your summer been, Harry?" Harry stared at all of them. His anger hadn't subsided.

"Hi, Ginny," he said, turning to the girl. She had really grown up since the last time Harry had seen her. Her long red hair was now to her waist, she had grown at least a couple inches, and her chest had developed. Best of all, she was now meeting his eyes with a charming smile. He could now see that she was pretty, not nearly as beautiful as Draco was, however. Harry hadn't really talked to her since he had given up his second year, but that might change if she was no longer acting strange around him.

The temperature in the air dropped at Harry's cold brush off.

Ron and Hermione exchanged looks and Harry felt his anger increase. "Is there a problem, Harry?" Hermione said carefully.

Harry sat back in his chair, putting the book down. "Any reason I shouldn't have a problem with you two? You've been ignoring me all summer."

Hermione put her hand on Ron's arm. "We weren't ignoring you, Harry!"

"Yeah, mate, the order told us we couldn't write anything important."

"Is anyone going to tell me what this bloody order is?"

"The order of the phoenix," Hermione said instantly. "It's a secret organization created by Dumbledore to fight… You-Know-Who."

Harry stared at them. "Well?" They gave him confused looks.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? WHAT IS VOLDEMORT DOING? WHY ISN'T HE KILLING ANYONE? WHY AREN'T PEOPLE GOING MISSING? WHAT ARE WE DOING TO FIGHT HIM? WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHY DID I HAVE TO STAY AT THAT HELL HOLE ALL DAMN SUMMER? WHY DID IT TAKE NEARLY GETTING MY SOUL SUCKED OUT MY THROAT TO HEAR FROM ANYONE?"

They had backed away from him in the face of his anger. He truly was pissed at the unfairness of it all.

"They wouldn't let us in the meetings, we don't know anything about anything!"

Harry growled in frustration. "You had to have heard something. And that's only half the issue! I begged all summer to get out of there, and it turns out you two are here, together. What's the problem, was I not invited?" He really was truly hurt about that.

"We wanted you to come, but Dumbledore said that you were safer there!" Harry choked, then threw his hands up as he started laughing. It was deep and devoid of humor.

"Oh yeah. I'm safe there. I'm real safe." They all looked at each other, yet again, and his temper was above the surface.

Then Ron walked up to him, turning redder by the second. "Don't like it when people keep things form you do you? How do you think it makes us feel?"

Harry gaped. "You're still on that? Honestly, just leave it alone. I can't believe you'd keep something from me just to get back at me!"

"We were just trying to show you how it feels! Not very good, does it?"

"You're telling me you kept things about Voldemort from me—Voldemort! —just because you're mad at me?!"

"You've been lying to us for years! What are you keeping from us?"

"It doesn't matter! And I have not been lying to you! I have never lied! You and Hermione agreed that it was ok for us to have some secrets!"

Ron gave him a triumphant look. "Oh, wipe that smirk off your face. This is war, there's no room for petty squabbles." Ron looked disgusted.

The twins popped in, literally, at that moment. "Hey, Harry!" They said together. "We thought we heard your voluptuous voice."

They talked for a little while. They told him about how they were trying to hear the meeting with their extendable ears, about how Snape was giving some report. Harry glared at Ron and Hermione, who glared back and winced respectively. Finally, the meeting was over, and they were allowed into the kitchen for dinner.

His cheery mood lasted; he sat next to Sirius at an elongated table in the middle of the grimy basement kitchen. There was talk all around the table, but Harry was stabbing at his food angrily.

"You know," Sirius said quietly, leaning close to Harry, "I'm pretty sure it's dead."

Harry paid attention to his plate, only to find he had indeed killed it dead. He sighed and started eating regardless, he was very hungry, and he was pretty sure his ribs were starting to peak through his skin.

"Any particular reason you're upset?"

"No reason at all."

Sirius sighed. "So," he said, brightening considerably, "Guess what?"

"You got rid of your fleas?"

Sirius smirked and ruffled his hair. "No, smart mouth. I got a court date!" Harry gasped and hugged him. This was great news for Sirius winning his freedom.

"That is great!" Harry said, finally feeling like something was going right.

"Yeah, and it's right before your hearing, so if all goes well, I'll be able to go with you." Harry was split, hearing that. On the one hand, he would be over joyed for Sirius to be freed. On the other, he really didn't want to think about the hearing.

"What's the first thing you're going to do when you're free?" Harry asked.

Sirius smiled fondly, a strange look in his eyes. "I think…I'm going to take you to get some ice cream. How does that sound?"

"Brilliant." Harry agreed easily, and it did sound brilliant.

The dinner continued, talking and laughing prevalent around the table. As everyone was sitting back, pushing their plates away, full, Sirius turned to Harry.

"You know, I'm surprised at you, I would have thought the first thing you did when you got here was ask questions about Voldemort," Sirius said to Harry, louder than he needed to be. The effect was instantaneous. The temperature dropped several degrees, several people gasped, others winced, and two glasses were upset, leaving behind small puddles of liquid. "Honestly. We're fighting him, you lot should get used to hearing the name. Well, Harry?"

Harry pushed his plate forward and turned to face his godfather. "Ron and Hermione said we're not allowed to ask questions."

They both opened their mouths to complain, but Sirius held up a hand. "Of course, you're allowed to ask questions, Harry. What would make you think you're not?"

Harry's anger, which had receded during the meal, began rising, as it did pretty frequently lately. Maybe if it hadn't, he wouldn't have said, "It's the first rule for a quiet life at the Dursley's." He felt vindictive pleasure at the concerned looks he received. Let them be worried for him, he had a deficit of it this summer.

Sirius looked more surprised than anything. "You're not allowed to ask questions? What kind of a rule is that? You're allowed to ask questions, Harry, as many as you want whenever you want."

Harry felt a bubble of joy rise up in the sea of despair that was his emotions. That had been something about his childhood that had truly bothered him, and it was nice to know things would have been different with Sirius. Then he got sad, because things would have been different with Sirius.

Mrs. Weasley appeared to disagree with Sirius. "You can't be serious! He's just a boy, he can't be asking anything he wants!"

"I am, in fact, have we met? Of course, he can ask questions." They got into an argument. Over him. He was rather offended by several of Mrs. Weasley's insinuations. The little voice inside him that sounded suspiciously like Draco urged him to speak up.

"Mrs. Weasley," he broke in, "I appreciate everything you do for me, I'll never be able to tell you how much. But you can't just claim me one second and abandon me the next. Sirius has always been there for me, at the risk of his own life. He's my godfather, and my parents are dead, that makes him my guardian. Are you really saying you want to argue with my parents' choices?" He had tacked on that little bit of manipulation at Draco's voice's insistence. He felt rather bad the second the words were out of his mouth, but that couldn't be helped with how he was feeling.

Mrs. Weasley looked rather heartbroken at his words, but Harry was hurt, too. Sirius looked happy and proud, what else could he do? They were having a fight and Harry stopped it. The other Weasleys didn't look very happy either. Harry sighed.

"Well, now that's settled," Sirius said cheerfully, "what do you want to know?"

"Where is Voldemort? What's he doing? What is he planning? Why isn't he killing anyone? Why is the ministry still denying he's back? What's being done to convince the ministry he's back? What's being done to prepare for the war?"

Sirius smiled at him. The answers, in Harry's mind, amounted to, essentially, nothing. At least, not good enough. He was seriously worried about Voldemort, and his future was bleak with him on the horizon. The answers he got made him feel resentment and wrathful.

Finally, he got to the question he had been most dreading and needing the answer to. "Why, after I witnessed Voldemort returning, was I shipped off to the Dursleys to rot?" He kept a lot of his anger out of his voice, but the thing about having a huge amount of anger is if you take a lot, there was still a lot leftover. "Why couldn't I have been here?" He addressed to the room. No one answered, and it did nothing for his temper. "I saw Voldemort's ding-dong, that was traumatic enough, and had to fight for my life, and it took nearly having my soul ripped out to be rescued from the Dursleys?"

"Harry, you're safe there. It's your home, and we have no right to take you from your home."

Harry snorted out a laugh. "That's rich; are you sure about that? Absolutely sure?"

"Dumbledore assured us there are protective measures at your home to prevent you being hurt."

The remark made the anger, bubbling lowly just beneath the surface, boil over. "Does this," Harry pulled on his shirt collar, unbuttoning it first. "Look like I am safe from being hurt?" The handprint on his neck was a sickly yellow and purple. There were gasps all along the table.

"What the—" Sirius gently grabbed Harry, wrapping his hand around his neck to compare his hand to the bruise. "What the hell? Why do you have a handprint around your neck? Oh god," he had turned Harry's head to see the damage to the other side. "Did you get strangled, Harry? Who the hell tried to strangle you?"

"Does it matter? I think this proves I'm not in the safest place?" Mrs. Weasley was tearing up, covering her mouth with her hands, as were Ginny and Hermione. Everyone else was staring at him, gaping.

"Harry, I want to know who did this to you. Because if it's who I think it is, I'm going to kill them." Sirius said this very seriously with an air of total calm. Harry reconsidered saying anything.

"Why would that make me want to tell you? Promise me you won't hurt them, and I will."

Sirius glared at him. "Harry. Did your uncle do this to you?" Harry sighed and looked down which was apparently answer enough for him. "Damnit!" Sirius swore as he banged the table and got up. Not even Mrs. Weasley berated him for his language.

"How could anyone do that?" She whispered, but in the silence it carried. Harry looked down again as Sirius started to pace, muttering under his breath. Lupin stood and took his vacated chair.

"Was this the first time something like this has happened?"

"You mean the first time he strangled me? Yeah. He hasn't tried that before." Sirius stopped to look at Harry.

"Has he tried to hurt you before?" Lupin rephrased.

Harry sighed and put his head in his hands. He was quickly losing control of this situation. "I'm sorry, let's just forget it, I heal fast—"

"Harry, this is important. Have you been hurt by the Dursleys before?" The question was so ridiculous, he had been hurt many times and in many ways by the Dursleys and he had the scars to prove it. He started laughing.

He hated being the center of attention, hated others knowing he was weak, hated having to talk about something that was deeply personal. The laughing was slightly hysterical. He was so out of the realm of reality it was the only thing he could do. His efforts only resulted in strange looks, but Sirius stopped pacing.

Harry jumped up, unable to take the stifling atmosphere anymore. "Well there's a book with my name on it in the library, I'm just going to…" Lupin blocked his path.

"Harry, we need to talk about this."

"I don't think we do. Just forget I said anything." He dodged around Lupin, but he got a hold of him as he was making his escape.

"Moony," Sirius said in a strangled voice. "Let him go." Lupin did, and Harry backed away slowly. "If he doesn't want to talk about it right now, he doesn't have to." He spoke directly to Harry, and he heard the underlying message. They would talk about it later.

Never the less, he had found an escape, and he took it. He hurried out of the room and headed to the library. He really did want to keep reading the book on portkeys.

* * *

There was a knock on the door. Sirius popped his head in when Harry called out. He gave Harry a tense smile and entered the rest of the way in the room.

"Are they still talking about me?" Harry asked. Sirius let a breath out through his nose, as if surprised to have been caught.

"Yeah. I was elected to come up and talk to you. Rather, I yelled until the others agreed it was probably a good idea. So…" He stretched the 'so' out before it tapered off. Harry and he sat in slightly awkward silence, Harry figured he was psyching himself up. "Harry," he started, and Harry wondered why everyone was using his name so much. "I want to apologize to you." Harry certainly wasn't expecting that.

"You don't—"

"Yes, I do. Just listen for a minute. I had no idea that things were that bad, and if I had known I would've done anything to get you out of there. I would have taken you with me, given you money for a hotel, anything would have been better than you getting hurt. I want you to know, it's wrong that you were put there in the first place, it's wrong what they did to you, and it's wrong that no one realized anything was wrong. I've been going over things you have told me about them, and I realize you were trying to say something, and I understand why you couldn't. I know it took a lot of courage for you to speak up tonight, even if you didn't mean to, and I want you to understand how proud I am of you." Harry felt tears pricking at his eyes, and had to look down, rocking himself a little.

No one had ever told him they were proud of him, and Harry hadn't realized that he had missed it until just then.

"If I had never gone after bloody Wormtail, none of this would have happened."

"It's not your fault!" Harry began, he had more, but Sirius held up a hand.

"Part of being an adult means acknowledging your mistakes and taking responsibility for them. I had you in my arms, Harry. That night, after your parents died, I was holding you when Hagrid came up to me. He said he had instructions to take you to Dumbledore. He convinced me to hand you over, and I never should have done it. But I did want to be the one to find Wormtail. I wanted to look him in the eye and ask him why he did it. I don't know even now what I was planning to do when I got him. I never should have given you up, and I'm sorry for that." Harry had been looking down at his knees, it was getting harder and harder to not let out a sob.

He looked up when Sirius's voice wavered, and he wiped away tears too. "Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry," he said, he got up and leaned over Harry's chair, giving him an awkward but comforting hug, and Harry couldn't keep the sobs at bay anymore. Sirius just hugged him tighter.

"My parents were awful," Sirius told him much later. They had moved over to the couch, and Harry had his head on Sirius's shoulder. "They were negligent. My mother was alright when I was a child, compared to when I was a teenager. She mostly used words. My father, on the other hand, he would hit me on occasion. It wasn't often, and it was always a punishment. That doesn't make it right, mind, but I never really considered it to be abuse. It was normal to me, parents punish their children and that's just the way things are. It took me leaving, I stayed at your dad's place when I was sixteen, and seeing him with his parents to understand that how my parents treated me wasn't normal or ok. Once I was out of this house, I felt so free," he looked around wistfully.

Harry stared at the chairs in front of them, he knew what Sirius was doing, but it was working. "They started out just swatting at me when I did something wrong. Punishment, like you said, and it was very minor, didn't really hurt. The older I got, the more they'd hurt, the more often they'd get upset at me. It seemed like everything I did was wrong. I realize now that I'd been showing more and more signs of having magic, and they wanted to try to get rid of it. One time, they shut me in the cupboard for a month. That, I think, was the worst one. The worst punishment, I mean." "Until now," he was trying to get the courage to say. Sirius had tilted his head, trying to look at Harry, and Harry looked up at him, worried he had shared too much.

"The cupboard?" Sirius asked, trepidation etched in every line of his face. Harry winced.

"Yeah." Sirius waited. Harry sighed deeply, "the cupboard under the stairs. It was my bedroom until they thought there were people watching the house."

Sirius turned from him, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. Harry waited, hoping there wouldn't be too much of an explosion. It didn't come. After a couple beats, Sirius turned back and gave Harry his best try at a smile.

"Thank you for telling me all that, Harry. I know it was hard. I'm so proud of you." He pulled Harry into another hug. "If there's ever anything you need to talk about, anything at all, you can come talk to me."

"Ok," Harry agreed. He felt great. Better than he had all summer. It was like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders and chest. It was like he hadn't even realized he wasn't getting enough air until he took in a lungful. "Sirius, can I tell you something, and promise you won't get mad?"

"You can tell me anything, and I promise I'll try not to get mad." It was good enough.

"My ribs hurt." Sirius sat up.

"Is there a reason they should be?" He asked carefully.

Harry nodded. Sirius took a deep breath. "Show me where it hurts."

Harry took a deep breath too. "Ok, but it's not pretty." He warned and lifted his shirt. Sirius gasped.

His ribs were outlined lightly, and bruises had formed. Under that, the various scars he had were particularly visible. Sirius held out a hand and very gently touched one of the bruises. Harry breathed deeply, not willing to show the pain, but he had a feeling Sirius understood.

He got out his wand. "I'm pretty good with healing charms, benefit of being best friends with a werewolf. But if these bones are broken, we may need to get you to a hospital."

Harry moaned. "I don't want to go to a hospital."

"It wouldn't be good right about now, but we'll deal with it if it's needed." Sirius focused on his work, intricately moving his wand over every one of Harry's bruises. It looked much better when he was done. "Ok, I think I got all the little stuff, but there's a hairline fracture on one of your ribs, and I think a couple more are bruised. I would feel much better if Remus took a look at it."

"Oh, no I'm fine, already much better, it doesn't hurt that much—"

"Harry. You don't need to make excuses to me. Let me go get Remus, ok?"

Harry slowly nodded, too choked up to talk. Sirius hurried out of the room and returned minutes later.

"I'm sorry, Professor Lupin, I don't want to bother you—"

"It's no bother, Harry. Sirius already explained what's going on, can I see?" He asked.

Harry lifted his shirt again. The only reaction was a small tic before he set to work. He muttered under his breath as he worked. Finally, Harry felt a pinch and he was done.

"Thanks, Professor." Remus shook his head.

"No thanks are necessary. It has, however, been years since I was your professor. Call me Remus, please."

Harry blushed and nodded. Remus took a seat on the other side of Harry. They sat in silence for several moments. It was loaded. "Harry. You don't have to go back to the Dursleys." Sirius finally said. Remus's head popped up to look at him. His expression was unreadable to Harry.

"I don't? Really? You're sure?" Hope was blossoming in his chest.

At Sirius's smile, Harry launched himself at Sirius who hugged him for a long time. Remus reached over and rubbed his back. The resulting silence was nice, but Harry still had questions.

"What was my dad like?" He finally asked. Sirius and Remus smiled sadly at each other before launching into their tales.

* * *

He tiptoed into the room he was apparently sharing with Ron, wishing he had seen it earlier, so he would at least know where things were. He could hear the outline of a lump snoring and knew the other bed must be his. He hit his foot on the corner of his trunk and fell to the floor, cursing under his breath.

"Harry?" A voice asked through the dark.

"Yeah," Harry answered, at least he had found his trunk. It was silent as he got dressed in his pajamas and got into bed. He turned over, and it was quiet for a while before Ron spoke.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Harry sighed. He was tired of this fight.

"Are you really that surprised? I begged not to go back, and I begged to leave. I wasn't exactly shy with my stories either."

"I'm sorry, Harry. I wish there was something I could have done."

"Sirius said I don't have to go back." Harry was still feeling elation over that.

"That's great mate!" There was quiet, then, "we thought you'd tell us someday what it was." Ron said.

Harry sighed. "I will, when the time is right."

Ron was quiet. "I'm sorry, Harry. And if you don't want to tell us whatever it is, you don't have to."

He knew it wouldn't last, but Ron was trying. "Thanks, Ron."

There was the sound of rustling, and then Ron snoring. Harry fell asleep quicker than he had all summer.

* * *

Life at Grimmauld was pretty boring, but it was definitely better than the Dursleys. The younger crowd spent most of the day cleaning with Mrs. Weasley and Sirius. Sirius hated the house, he told Harry a little bit about his life before he left when he was sixteen. Harry found it comforting that someone understood some of what he was going through.

People had started giving him sympathetic looks when they thought he wasn't looking. It was almost enough to make him regret his outburst. Almost. The result was simply too satisfying.

When they weren't cleaning, they were talking about Harry's and Sirius's trials. Preparations for a trial were apparently pretty consuming. Harry had to go to the Ministry with a whole group of people to get briefed on what to do. A pretty, young prosecutor gave them some advice, went over what questions she was going to ask, and told them what to do and not do. It was rather exhausting in itself.

Finally, the day of Pettigrew's, and really Sirius's, trial came. Harry sat in the courtroom nervous as he had ever been. He opened and closed his palm, holding it for five then ten seconds, and that helped keep his anxiety at bay. It wouldn't do for him to have a panic attack right there in front of the entire Wizengamot. Draco had sent several letters to him over the summer, detailing what to expect from the trial.

Sirius, of course, was not there. If he showed up, the Aurors would stun first and ask questions later, if at all. His warrant for getting the kiss on sight was still effective, until he was cleared of all charges. First, however, Pettigrew would have to be proven to have committed the acts Sirius had been imprisoned for. He hoped the prosecution had everything they needed.

Just then, a banging could be heard, it echoed off the stone walls. "Order," came Fudge's voice. "Find your seats, please!" There was a scramble as seats were taken, then, "bring in the accused."

Harry leaned forward to catch a glimpse of Pettigrew. He was looking much thinner than the last time Harry had seen him. He was nervously looking around the room, as if looking for a friendly face. Harry was gratified that he didn't find one.

"You are, Mr. Peter Pettigrew, no known address?"

"Yes." Pettigrew squeaked.

"You stand accused of 13 counts of murder, 2 counts of conspiracy to commit murder, 1 count of evading the law, 1 count of treason, 1 count of belonging to the organization known as the Death Eaters, unknown counts of illegal spell usage, 1 count of kidnapping, 1 count of practicing dark arts, 1 count against the statute of secrecy, 1 count of being an illegal Animagus, and 1 count of falsification of legal documents." They were really tacking things on. "How do you plead?"

Pettigrew looked around one more time before taking a deep breath. "Not guilty."

There were gasps echoing around the room, then mutterings. Harry was stunned. The little rat was going to try to get out of it?

The gavel banged again. "Order, order in the courtroom. Mr. Pettigrew. Are you quite sure you would not like to enter a plea bargain, save us all some time? I can offer you a very fair deal."

"My client is innocent, Mr. Fudge, and we will prove it!" came a voice from the seats where the public was sitting. A thin man with slick, black hair and a goatee strutted up to Pettigrew.

"Ah, Mr. Morgan. Right on time, as usual." Fudge said, in a sarcastic voice. "Always one for drama. Very well. Your opening statement?"

"I am appalled and disgraced to have heard about all my client, Mr. Peter Pettigrew has had to go through. And before even hearing his story, you are writing him off as a Death Eater! Why, he doesn't even have the mark that all Death Eaters bear! He has been accused of some awful crimes, when all he was doing was trying to fight those forces of evil he stands accused of consorting with. It is a mockery of justice that he is even being tried in the first place. It is Sirius Black who has committed the crimes my client has been accused of, and I am going to prove it during these proceedings. I only hope the ladies and gentlemen of the Wizengamot will open their hearts to listen to my client. Thank you!" His voice was disgustingly slick, just as his hair. He had started out impassioned but got sadder and sadder the more his speech went on. Harry was amazed. Was anyone really buying that? He looked around, but the faces he saw were blank masks, similar to Draco's.

"Very well. The prosecution?"

A woman stepped forward, wearing dark grey dress robes with light blue stitching. It was Mary MacDonald, the woman that had prepared them a couple days previous. Harry had met her when she went over what to do and not do when he was being questioned. "Members of the Wizengamot, I stand before you today, a humble servant of the law. Justice has not been served, and I will tell you why. Fourteen years ago, an innocent man was placed under arrest for the crimes this man committed. Years later, he has only committed more crimes, making absolutely no contribution to society. This man worked for the Dark Lord known as You-Know-Who; he conspired to kill Lily and James Potter, two upstanding members of society with a small son, later killed 13 muggles, blowing up a street and risking our very way of life by flaunting the statue of secrecy. He then transformed into a rat and escaped through the sewers, leaving his friend to be accused of his crimes. He later kidnapped Harry Potter, injuring him in the process as he attempted to resurrect his master, the Dark Lord. This man is a danger to society, he cannot be let go. He must pay for the crimes he has committed, and he cannot be allowed to escape justice, again." With that, she took her seat. Harry wanted to applaud her but knew that wouldn't go well.

Several members of the Wizengamot nodded along with her, Harry found that comforting. No one had sympathized with Pettigrew, so that was a promising sign.

"Let's move along. Prosecution, your first witness."

"I call Harry Potter to the stand." There were murmurs again, this time louder, and hundreds of eyes watched Harry move from the chair in the middle of the room. He sat down, nervously and tried to think of what a normal thing to do with his hands would be.

"Hello, Harry. First things first, how are you doing today?"

"I'm alright. I'd be better if someone who is responsible for my parent's deaths weren't sitting so close to me."

"Objection!"

"Over-ruled. Continue, Miss MacDonald."

"Harry, you were only a year old when your parents died. Do you remember them, or any of their friends from the time?"

Harry's stomach constricted. "I only remember their last moments. I don't remember anything else about them."

Mary made a noise of sympathy. She had warned Harry about this question, to get sympathy points, she said. Harry wasn't sure that was necessary, but he saw many sympathetic eyes in the audience, so maybe she knew what she was doing. The questioning went on, Harry telling the court about what happened about a year ago when he, Ron, and Hermione had all heard Pettigrew confess to his crimes, then speaking very briefly about the graveyard. Harry had wanted to go into full detail, but Mary had said it was very, very important to Sirius's freedom that he not go into it fully, he could not say that Voldemort had been resurrected. The Wizengamot did not want to hear about it, and it might tip the scales out of their favor. All he said was that Pettigrew had been at the Death Eater 'meeting' and they had 'tried' to resurrect Voldemort. The crowd gasped when he said the name.

When it was time for the defense to question him, Mr. Morgan said he had no questions at this time. Harry thought that was rather strange. Mary called Ron, Hermione, Lupin, Kingsley and several members of the Order of the Phoenix, not that the Wizagomont knew that, who all testified that Pettigrew was guilty. Harry felt optimistic of how things were going, even if it did get a bit boring.

Finally, it was time for the defense to call witnesses. "I recall Harry Potter to the stand!" Morgan said, much louder than was necessary. He made his way cautiously over to the witness chair and waited for the first question.

"Mr. Potter. You survived a curse intended to kill you, that no one before or since has survived. Is that correct?"

"Objection! Relevance?" Mary said from her desk.

"I'm getting to that."

"Over ruled, but please stay on topic, Mr. Morgan, and get to the point quickly!"

Mary nodded to Harry, and he answered the question, "yes."

"I see. Now, Mr. Potter, on the occasion when Mr. Black illegally captured and held you and your friends—"

"Objection!"

"Never mind, I'll rephrase." Mr. Morgan looked pleased, almost doing a Malfoy smirk. Harry wondered if that's where he got it, it was like a cheap knockoff. "When Mr. Black confronted Mr. Pettigrew and you bore witness, did Mr. Pettigrew have a wand?"

Harry thought back. "If he did, I didn't see it. He didn't use it, except, maybe to escape? I didn't see how he got out of the ropes."

"Ah, I see, so either he didn't have his wand, and confessed under duress; or, he did have his wand, and didn't make any move against any of you!" There were mutterings around the courtroom again. "Mr. Potter, you said he got out of the ropes, who was it that tied him up?"

"Objection, relevance, again."

"I think it is very relevant if a group of people illegally held a wizard captive."

"We only did that so he wouldn't escape!"

"Under section 2 of the Citizen's Advocacy Amendment, good Samaritans are able to apprehend wizards or witches they believe to be doing harm, as long as they are treated with human decency."

"Mr. Potter, was Mr. Pettigrew treated with human decency?"

"Yes!"

"I call for a pensive viewing, this witness is unable to stick to his story, may be volatile, and the evidence must be seen."

"I'll allow it," Fudge said, looking excited. Harry was confused about what was happening, but Mary had a look of triumph on her face, and at it, Mr. Morgan looked concerned.

"This is a good thing," she whispered to him as she and several wizards approached him. "The prosecution isn't supposed to call upon memories, but you got him to, and I know it will show the truth." His memory was extracted, and the court watched as his memory played on a screen. Mr. Morgan looked angry, was whispering furiously to Pettigrew. Harry glared at the both of them.

When the memory was over, Mr. Morgan came back to the center of the room and began talking to Harry again. "Mr. Potter, the other occasion you claim to have happened occurred was when Mr. Pettigrew allegedly kidnapped you. Where did he take you?"

"To a graveyard."

"I see, and once you were there, what did he do?"

"He tied me up and started brewing this potion. I didn't know what it did, but he cut my arm, and used my blood in the potion." He raised his arm and showed the courtroom the scar on it. Madam Pomfrey had been unable to prevent it from scaring over, but Harry was not upset about that. On the contrary, he was happy to have a reminder of the incident. Like Draco had said, it was a physical reminder of what he had overcome.

"You said you didn't know what it did. What did happen as a result of this potion, Mr. Potter." Harry stayed silent. Mary placed her forehead in her hand, covering her face. "Mr. Potter?" Morgan baited, a gleam in his eye. "Did the potion succeed at bringing back the Dark Lord, You-Know-Who?"

Harry took a deep breath. "Yes." Gasps and some screams (really? Harry questioned) broke out among the crowd.

"Mr. Fudge, I call that this witness is delusional, and as such, has no business being a witness. I move that his testimony be stricken from the record."

"No! He's back, he's really back—"

"Objection!" Several voices spoke at once, drowning Harry out.

Fudge banged his gavel. "Order, order in the courtroom or this will become a closed trial!" When it quieted, Fudge leveled a look at Harry. "It is my opinion that this witness should be stricken from the record." Voices broke out again. Harry wasn't sure what was happening, he tried to argue over all the other voices, but two wizards wearing scarlet robes walked up to him and grabbed him by the elbows, escorting him out of the room.

The second the door closed behind him, the wizards let go of him and stood on either side of the door, glaring at him as if he were causing trouble. The door opened again, and out came Remus. "Harry," he said, coming up to him. "Don't worry about that, it was a dirty trick, and no one expected you to say anything but the truth. I have to go back inside in case they call me, you wait right here, and don't go wandering off, alright? There should be a break pretty soon, then I can take you home."

Harry nodded, and Remus went back into the room after nodding to the guards, who were still watching Harry. He walked a little further down the wall and kicked it angrily. "Oi!" one of the guards yelled at him, and he instead sank along it.

It just wasn't fair. All he was doing was telling the truth, and now, Pettigrew might walk free because of it.

The break did come pretty quickly, and Remus quickly escorted Harry back to Grimmauld Place before taking off again. Sirius was a bundle of nerves, he asked Harry how it went several times, even after Harry had told him every detail.

Close to dinner time, the group that left for the trial came back. It had gotten worse after Harry left. Mr. Morgan had tried to get all of the witnesses stricken from the testimony, and Fudge had finally caught on to what he was doing. He had also called two acquaintances of Pettigrew's from back in the day, who testified Peter was an upstanding citizen, working against Voldemort, not for him. That had hurt a bit, as had Morgan bringing up the fact that Sirius wasn't there, but the general consensus was the day had gone about as good as they were expecting. Harry was a little hurt at that, were they expecting him to fail?

They would be going back tomorrow for last minute deliberations and sentencing, if there was any. Harry couldn't bear the thought of that happening.

The day was wet and rainy, and Harry hoped it wasn't an omen for what was to come. The courtroom was even more packed than it had been the day before. There were people up against the walls and sitting on the steps. Harry tried hard to level his breathing, it was picking up, just a little. He opened and closed his palm, trying to regulate his anxiety.

Finally, the banging of the gavel came. "Order in the court!" Fudge called out. "What are all these people doing here? Aurors! Clear the chamber, anyone not in a seat needs to leave. The court will come to order." Harry closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. Time went on. They had memories and witnesses, but no physical evidence. Everything from that time had been destroyed. The defense had a standing chance. Pettigrew could not get off. If he did, Sirius would have no chance for freedom, ever. He started shaking, just a little.

"You alright, Harry?" Came a voice to his left. Harry nodded jerkily, not bothering to open his eyes. He focused on Draco. Him and Draco, lying on the floor of their room, talking quietly and trading kisses. His breathing slowly evened out.

"We will now put it to a vote." Harry's eyes snapped open as his heartrate picked up again. "On the count of murder, all those in favor of innocence?" There were too many hands. Way too many. More than half, Harry felt his stomach drop out of his body. "And all those in favor of conviction?" There weren't enough hands. Harry felt something inside him snap.

Just as Fudge was opening his mouth, the gavel up in the air, Harry stood. Suddenly, all the focus was on him, but for once, he couldn't care. He was shouting. "Tell the truth, Pettigrew! You betrayed my parents and killed all those people! You lying bastard—!" The gavel was banging, people all around him were yelling, talking, pointing.

"Get him out of this courtroom! Aurors! Aurors!" Fudge was yelling. Two menacing Aurors approached Harry, who was still yelling at a white-faced Pettigrew. They pushed people out of the way, grabbing Harry's arms—

"I did it!" Came ringing around the courtroom. In the ensuring silence, Pettigrew sounded louder. "I betrayed Lily and James! I sold them out to the Dark Lord! I gave him secrets that resulted in deaths, we could have lost the war because of me! And I killed those muggles, Sirius was innocent! I sought out the Dark Lord, and I resurrected him! I did it, all of it!" Pettigrew went on, as Fudge banged his gavel, as the Aurors let Harry go, as people traded looks.

Harry gaped, amazed.

"You are… changing your plea?" Fudge asked, looking sick, after the room came to order several minutes later. Pettigrew nodded energetically. "Well then, I have no choice. Peter Pettigrew, I find you guilty of the crimes for which you are accused. Sentencing?"

Harry heard wobbling and buzzing in his ears but was unable to focus on anything but Pettigrew. Sounds came around him, but they made no sense, not until he heard, "…Sirius Black?" and his head shot up.

Fudge had an absolutely revolted look on his face. It was quiet in the courtroom. "All those in favor of acquitting Sirius Black of all charges?" Every hand went up. Every single one. Including Fudge's, after a moment of him realizing everyone else had. "Cleared." Fudge banged his gavel. "Of all charges. Sirius Black's warrant is recalled, allowing him his freedom. Weasley! Send a letter immediately, make sure the story gets into the evening prophet." He continued on with instructions, though quieter, as the courtroom erupted into talking. People were leaving, but Harry sat in his seat stunned.

After all this time, Sirius was finally free. Free.

Ron and Hermione had grabbed his arms, pulling him up, shouting their joy. A smile slowly spread across Harry's face as he finally realized this was real.

* * *

Grimmauld Place looked like it was brighter, somehow. Maybe it was all the cleaning, but he figured it was probably just his disposition. The group that had been celebrating the entire rid back quietened as they entered, weary of Mrs. Black's portrait. The second they were in the entryway, Sirius was there, he had run in in dog form.

"Well?" He demanded. "No one will tell me." He looked frantic as he stared at all of them. Remus pushed him forward.

Harry took a deep breath, unable to completely contain his smile. "You're free." He said simply, a little choked up. Sirius stared at him, open mouthed as he took several deep breaths.

He took in each of their faces, realizing they weren't playing a cruel joke. He took a deep, shuttering breath and covered his face with his hands. Harry took a step forward, a little worried about him. "I'm free." Sirius whispered from underneath his hands. Harry took another step forward and Sirius threw his arms around Harry.

Aww's went up around them, and there was some applauding, but Harry just hugged Sirius back, beaming.

The first thing Sirius did turned out to be stepping outside. He ran out the door and stood in the street, rain pouring down on him, his arms outstretched, head tilted up, laughing. Harry grinned as he watched him.

When Sirius did finally come back in, he declared he was going to get some ice cream. Several voices told him this wasn't a good idea, that he should wait until tomorrow, when news of him not being a criminal had spread. Sirius, however, laughed and said it would be alright.

"Come along, Harry, Remus, you can come if you want. Want some ice cream?"

"No, but I can't miss this. Are you sure I can't talk you out of it?"

"Nope! This is happening." Sirius hadn't stopped grinning as he ran up the stairs to change into his best robes, which were indeed rather fancy black robes that appeared to be velvet and topped off with a bowtie.

"I feel underdressed. We're just getting ice cream, right?" Harry asked as they walked out to the curb.

"Yeah. I just figured, for my first time going out…"

"Alright." That was fair enough. Remus just shook his head at his friend, which Harry had seen him do a lot.

They apparated to the alley just outside the entrance to Diagon alley. The reactions weren't immediate, but slowly people began paying attention to them, and whispers started to follow them along with horrified expressions.

Through it all, Sirius's grin stayed firmly in place. People started dodging out of the way, and a path cleared in front of them. They got to Fortescue's ice cream parlor, and faces turned towards them. As they approached the counters, tables started leaving, some leaving their ice cream behind.

"What do you want?" Mr. Fortescue asked in a shaky voice, up against the wall behind the counter.

He had meant it thinking Sirius was going to threaten him, but Sirius just put his hand up to his chin, stroking slowly. "I'm not sure. Harry, what are you getting?" He was perfectly calm.

Harry started snickering as Remus rolled his eyes. "I'd like a sundae, please." Harry said to Mr. Fortescue, starting to feel bad in the face of his terror. "Mr. Fortescue, have you met my godfather? He was just declared innocent by the Wizengamot, Peter Pettigrew turned out to have committed the crimes Sirius was accused of. Never got a trial, by the way."

Mr. Fortescue seemed to have calmed down considerably by the time he was done speaking. "Is that so."

"It's true." Remus said from behind Harry and Sirius.

Mr. Fortescue straightened, and walked up to the counter. "I see. Well then, congratulations, Mr. Black. I admired your efforts in the war, I was heartbroken when I heard what you had—allegedly—done. Always wished I had done more in the effort. What can I do for you, it's on the house?"

"Sirius, please, and I'll take—"

"Sirius Black. I should have known you'd get into trouble the second you were out of it." The door had opened without them noticing and there stood Mary MacDonald. She was shaking her head, arms crossed across her chest, still wearing her grey robes.

"Mary!" Sirius exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"You're lucky I'm not the Aurors. We received no less than 53 reports that you were in the Alley. You couldn't have waited for the evening prophet, at least? It's been less than an hour since you were declared innocent. Interesting, how quickly you found out," she said, her eyes going to Remus and Harry, who both shifted guiltily. Mary smiled.

"I've had twelve years imprisonment, and two years on the run. If I want to be in polite society again, I'm not wasting a single second." The temperature in the room declined. Mary stared for a couple seconds.

"Very well. I volunteered to give this to you, since you were found so quickly." She handed Sirius a piece of parchment with a smile.

"It's a certificate, saying I'm free." Sirius said in awe. "Thank you for bringing this." He added to Mary. She smiled. "And a letter from Mr. Fudge himself, wants to meet me tomorrow." Sirius looked to Remus before going back to Mary. "Do you have a minute? We were just about to have a celebratory scoop."

"As wonderful as that sounds, I need to get back to work, but, maybe a raincheck?" Her disposition had changed as well. She reminded Harry of McGonagall, strict but fair, now she was smiling brightly at Sirius, staring just a little. Harry frowned. If he wasn't mistaken, he was sure they were flirting.

For some reason, Remus was glaring, but he quickly wiped it away when Harry looked. Mary and Sirius traded slightly awkward goodbyes, completely forgetting Harry and Remus, and they finally ordered from a clearly amused Fortescue.

Sirius grabbed the table in the window, perhaps hoping to get more attention from passersby. They did.

"What was up with you and Mary?" Harry asked as he shoveled a scoop into his mouth.

"Oh, we dated for a bit at school, broke up, and then dated for a bit after school. Maybe it's time to start back up again." Sirius said with no embarrassment. Remus nearly knocked his bowl over.

"Oh?" He asked, trying to sound disinterested. Harry looked between them, not sure he should ask.

"Yeah. I mean why not? It's not like I have any other prospects at the moment."

Remus spat out his spoonful and started choking. Sirius wacked him on the back. Harry adjusted in his seat, uncomfortable.

Remus cleared his throat. "What about you, Harry? Have any girls you're sweet on?" Harry startled. He wasn't sure what to do.

"I, er—"

"Remus, look, is that Marlene?" Harry and Remus both looked at the window, as Remus was distracted, Sirius winked at Harry. "Ah, no, that's not her. Did I ever tell you that story about the time we went out? It could not have gone worse…" Harry was amazed at the smooth transition. Sirius was seriously cool.


	8. Year 5 Part II

**A/N: So, there's a section that is offensive in this chapter, and it deals with religion, homosexuality, and their relationships. It's never a good idea to bring that into a story, but I did anyway for a reality. No offense is intented, the author does not endorse any of the views given. This was just a conversation that happened in real life and was formed to fit the HP universe. **

* * *

Harry's elation at Sirius's trial going so well evaporated when he remembered his own trial was the day after. Thankfully, it couldn't have gone much better. Sirius had accompanied him and berated the Wizengamot, who were apparently involved in a minor school infraction, for trying him in the first place. Several of the members had shifted uneasily even before Dumbledore showed up. Once he did, it was practically over. He was cleared of all charges! He did indeed donate money to St. Mongo's in the fountain like he had promised himself.

When they got back, there was a party for both him and Sirius. It was fun, there were multiple stories about his family, which he really enjoyed. It did leave him a bit melancholy, so he snuck away when he could. While he was looking for a place to hide, he saw Mrs. Weasley's boggart, which was members of her family, including him, dead. It was pretty traumatic. Luckily, they were saved so Harry didn't have to use any magic to repel the boggart; that probably wouldn't have gone over well.

The rest of the summer was a lot more fun without the threat of expulsion hanging over them. Sirius made a point of leaving the house every day, whether it was for any minor errand that needed to be done, buying supplies for the house's renovation, or taking Harry out to do something fun. He took Harry to the cinema, a fair, museums, and several wizarding attractions. They both had a blast, and their physical appearances gradually improved, both gaining weight and getting color to their cheeks.

Sirius also went out on a couple dates with the prosecutor for his case, Mary MacDonald. Sirius said it was going pretty well, but he still looked wistfully at Remus on occasion. Harry had realized they must have had something at one point, but he was afraid of bringing it up with either of them. If they wanted him to know, they'd tell him, it wasn't any of his business.

The only little bump of the summer, for Harry at least, came a couple of days before they were set to go back to Hogwarts. Sirius asked Harry to come to his room for a couple minutes in the late afternoon. When he got there, he looked around curiously. There were pictures covering every square centimeter of his walls, mostly of half-naked women.

"Definitely bi, then?" Sirius asked with a grin as he watched Harry. He took a seat on a chair by his desk.

Harry blushed. "Definitely. Isn't this a little, I don't know, teenaged?"

Sirius laughed. "Yup. Never use permanent sticking charms if you don't want them to come down. I've been thinking about painting over them, as horrible as that will look."

"Muggles have sandpaper, that might work to even out the layers." Sirius looked interested, then shook his head.

"I didn't ask you here to get renovation tips. I wanted to have a little… talk with you." Harry felt unease hook him.

"I don't need that talk, I already know about all that, Sirius." He was gratified that he could say that without blushing too much. He had already done stuff with Draco, he didn't need to hear anything else. His heart rate picked up.

"I know Draco got you that book, and I'm impressed with how much it covers. There's really not that much to add, and I'm sure you've done things with him, but am I right in thinking you haven't done the ultimate act yet?"

"Well, no." Harry admitted. He shifted uncomfortably.

"That's ok, Harry, I just want to make sure you understand everything, and if you have any questions you have an opportunity to ask them. The book tells you to love yourself first, and everything else will follow, and that is very good advice. Never do anything you're uncomfortable with, be safe, all that general advice."

Sirius kept talking for a little while, basically traumatizing Harry. "Hopefully that won't happen to you. Harry, are you ok, you're breathing a little funny?" Harry realized his breathing had picked up, and he was holding back a minor attack. He blushed furiously.

"I'm fine, I just, I get a little uncomfortable, talking about all this stuff, it happens sometimes." He opened and closed his fist, focusing on that, and the anxiety started to recede. Sirius got up to sit next to him and started rubbing his back, it helped.

He still didn't look up when it seemed like his heart was beating normally again. "I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize, Harry. Does this happen a lot?"

Harry shook his head. "It used to happen a lot, but I got a book that helped, and Draco is so good to me, it doesn't happen that much anymore. I'm not sure why it happened now."

Sirius frowned in confusion. "Was it a panic attack?"

Harry nodded. "A very minor one."

"I see. Well I don't want to go on if you're going to react like this. I don't know what to do. Does Pomfrey know about them?"

"No! I don't want anyone to know, you can't tell anyone, Sirius!"

Sirius frowned at him. "I won't if it's that important to you and you have it under control. It looked like you knew what you were doing when you handled it. If it ever becomes an issue, I want you to tell me, and we'll figure out if you need help together, ok?" Harry nodded. "You don't have to talk about details, but Draco knows? How does he react when it happens?"

"He holds me, or gives me space, rubs my back, talks quietly to me until I calm down. He's so good to me, he's never once made me feel bad about them."

"Hmm. Well, I'm impressed with him, he must really love you."

"I love him."

"Good. Hold onto him, then. Do you have any questions?" He did, actually, about Sirius's dating life, but now wasn't the time. He shook his head. "Well then, I guess that's it for now, we covered the most important bits. Write me if you have any questions, about anything—actually, I may have something that will be better than writing. Let me see if I can find it." Sirius bustled off, leaving Harry to make his exit.

* * *

For once, the ride to Hogwarts was pretty interesting. The ministry was still trying to suck up to Sirius, so he was able to get some ministry cars. There were a lot of people as the Order had plenty of people volunteer to escort Harry to the platform. Sirius kept Harry entertained the whole trip by messing with the driver, pointing out scenery, and telling Harry stories from his youth. Harry enjoyed hearing about his parents, even if the novelty had somewhat worn off from the summer.

At the train, he felt melancholy for the first time about going back to Hogwarts. He was excited too, there were so many things about Hogwarts he loved, but he had never felt closer to having a home than he had this summer. Grimmauld Place with Sirius felt about as much home as Hogwarts felt. He had loved having a place that was his, and that's what number 12 was.

"Be good at school," Remus said, shaking Harry's hand. Harry nodded.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Sirius winked from next to Remus. He seemed to be enjoying the winking, he would do it whenever someone looked at him with anything other than friendliness. What looked like a first-year ran behind her mother's legs to get away from him and Sirius sniggered.

"That leaves a lot to the imagination," Harry joked, before he was engulfed by Mrs. Weasley.

"Oh," she half grunted. "Be good, Harry. No skipping any meals this year, eh?" Harry nodded.

"Wotcher, Harry," Tonks said, pulling him into a hug. "Don't listen to their advice too much, alright?" she whispered to him. Harry chuckled and nodded.

"Harry," Mr. Weasley shook his hand. "Have a great year. Maybe we'll see you at Christmas."

The rest of the Order all had something to say to him. There were many well wishes, and his hand was almost aching by the end of it. Finally, he got back to Sirius. "Here," he said, pushing a small, hand wrapped parcel in Harry's hands. "Open it when you're back at school, alone." He pulled Harry into a tight hug. "I'll miss you, pup. I'll see you at Christmas."

"I'm looking forward to it already," Harry said into Sirius's shoulder. He was, too. Sirius ruffled his hair, making it messier than ever, and waved as Harry boarded the train. He followed Ron and Hermione to an empty compartment, Ginny following behind him.

"We have to go to the Prefect's compartment," Hermione said apologetically. Harry nodded, and she and Ron left.

"Oh! Hi, Luna," Ginny called to a girl in the hallway. Harry was honestly somewhat glad. He didn't fancy being alone with her.

The blonde girl was wearing strange eyewear, and carrying a magazine, The Quibbler, upside down. "Oh, hello, Ginny," she said as if she had just caught sight of her and wasn't particularly surprised. "I wasn't expecting to see you."

A slightly awkward pause went by while Ginny looked to Harry, then grinned widely. "How would you like to sit with us?"

Luna looked around as if she was trying to detect something in the air. "I suppose this will work." She plopped down on the seat across from Harry and stared at him. It wasn't the typical staring most people did when they first met him, rather like he was a particularly interesting television program. He blinked at her and she smiled back, completely unabashed.

Harry cleared his throat. "Hello." He said intelligently.

"Hello, Harry Potter." She said, not taking her big blue eyes off Harry.

Harry refocused on the magazine, a title mentioning Sirius Black caught his eye. "May I see that?" The article was hilarious and made Harry laugh. He asked Luna about getting a subscription.

"Daddy will be pleased," she said, not sounding much happier, and Harry wondered if she ever showed her emotions.

Neville had also joined them by that point, and he and Harry had a brief conversation before Neville showed him his Mimbulus Mimbletonia. He pressed one of the boils before it suddenly exploded. Everyone in the compartment covered their faces, except for Harry, who got a face full of stinky pus.

"Ugh, Neville," he complained as he wiped his face.

"Oh!" Came a voice by the door. Harry wiped his glasses and the form of an Asian girl appeared.

"Hi. Cho Chang, right?" He asked, using his shirt to clean his face. They had never actually talked, but they had played against each other in quidditch his third year.

"Yes." She appeared a little startled. Harry wasn't sure if it was him knowing who she was, or his appearance. "I just wanted to come by and say hi. So, I'm saying hi. Anyway, I'll see you around, Harry."

She didn't spare a glance to anyone before she exited hastily. Harry wondered why Ginny was glaring at her. Some of her friends had stopped by to say hi and didn't talk to any of them.

Minutes later, the compartment door opened again. "Hello, all." Cedric Diggory said, with a bright smile. Objectively, he had gotten even more handsome over the summer. Still nowhere near Draco's league, however. "How's everyone doing?" He took the time to look each of them in the eye as he said it.

"Hi Cedric!" Came a chorus of voices from around the compartment. Harry looked around. All of them were smiling up at him, genuine joy on their faces. He wondered how they knew him. Cedric went around and asked Luna about her father, Neville if the Mimbulus Mimbletonia he was still holding was a new plant, asked Ginny how her summer was, then focused on Harry.

"How are you doing?" He asked, and Harry felt strangely fluttery.

"I'm doing great. And you?"

"Brilliant. I heard about your godfather regaining his freedom. That was an incredible story. I'm sorry he was wrongfully imprisoned, but I'm glad he got out."

"Yeah, it's been great having him around."

"I'm glad you get to see him, now." Cedric grinned, and Harry found himself smiling back. "My Father was at the trial, and he said he thought Pettigrew was going to get off. He was wondering why he suddenly confessed." He was asking, but in such a polite way Harry could refuse. He shifted a bit uncomfortably. He had a suspicion, but no more than that.

When Harry had saved Pettigrew from Sirius and Remus killing him two years ago, Dumbledore said they created a life debt. Harry wondered if he had unknowingly called it in when he yelled at Pettigrew to tell the truth. He hoped that even if he had, there wasn't some obscure law saying that it made Pettigrew's testimony moot.

Just in case, he shrugged. "Maybe it was the guilt getting to him. I know I shouldn't have yelled at him in the courtroom like I did, but I just couldn't help it."

Cedric nodded sympathetically, eyes on Harry. "I can't imagine going through that. I really am very glad that your parents finally got justice, and your godfather, as well." Harry smiled, just a touch sadly at the mention of his parents. They talked for a couple more minutes, and Cedric looked out into the hallway before saying he should get going.

"Looking for Cho?" Ginny asked. "We just saw her, she went to the left."

Cedric made a noise of polite interest. "I'm not. Actually, we broke up. Yeah." He added at their various noises of disappointment and sympathy. "We just realized we didn't have a lot in common. It happens. No hard feelings. Anyway, I'll see you guys later."

"Well that's just too bad." Ginny said as he left.

"Yeah," Harry agreed, and Ginny grinned with a predatory gleam in her eye. Harry wondered if she was developing a crush on Cedric. He thought he was quite a bit too old for her.

As he was looking at her, he caught a whiff of himself. He excused himself to the restrooms. Sometimes cleaning charms just didn't do it. On the way back, he ran into a blonde girl that was staring at the floor with red rimmed eyes. "Oh, sorry—" Harry said, "oh, Mandy, hi, what's wrong?"

Harry put his hands on her shoulders, forcing Mandy to look into his eyes. "Oh, hi, Harry." She said this as sadly, her lip wobbling, taking shallow, shuddering breaths. Harry stared, a little uncomfortable with the idea of her starting to cry. He didn't say anything but kept his hands where they were. "It's Sally-Anne. She wrote to me over the summer. Her parents aren't happy with her, and they've decided to keep her out of Hogwarts this year! I didn't believe it, but I've been all up and down the train, and she's not here! They're keeping her, and I'm never going to see her again!" With that, she burst into tears and threw her arms around him.

Harry couldn't have been more startled if Voldemort suddenly rode onto the train on a broomstick wearing a tutu. He looked around desperately, trying to find help.

Funnily enough, he did find it, in the form of Draco. He was ahead of Harry, coming out of a compartment, so Mandy didn't see him. At first, he raised an eyebrow, but at Harry's slowly waving arms and scared expression, had a hard time not laughing. As he giggled into his hand, he looked around to make sure the coast was clear. It was, and he mimed putting his arms around someone. Harry realized that was probably a good idea and did put his arms around Mandy, hugging her.

Draco nodded in approval, then moved his arm up and down in the air in front of him. Another good idea, Harry rubbed her back. Draco nodded, then opened his mouth and opened and closed his hand in front of it, as if he were speaking. "I'm sorry?" Harry asked, then realized he had spoken aloud. Mandy however, sniffed, and calmed down.

Draco shot him the finger guns, gave him a thumbs up, and moved passed them, heading to the restrooms. Harry nodded to him and smiled over Mandy's shoulder. Draco raised his eyebrows and inclined his head down the train, and Harry nodded again.

He left, and Harry focused on Mandy again. "It's alright." He said, which got a response of louder crying. "It'll be ok," he tried, and she calmed slightly again. "You'll be ok." He tried various platitudes and finally had her at a point where she wasn't crying as hard.

"Why would anyone keep their child out of Hogwarts?" Harry wondered aloud. Mandy sniffed and pulled her head up from Harry's robes.

She wiped her eyes on a handkerchief then stared down at it sadly. "Her parents are muggles, who believe that homosexuality is a sin against nature, or something. They didn't take her being gay well." That got another round of tears from her. Harry found himself infuriated, his temper was never that far from the surface now-a-days. "They, they, they were already upset about her being a witch, I guess this was just one thing too many." She sniffled, and Harry stared. "Anyway, thanks, Harry, I hope I didn't ruin your robes."

"No, Mandy, you don't—"

"I'll see you around, Harry. You're a nice bloke." With that, she left, blowing her nose on that handkerchief. Harry turned after a moment and headed towards the loos, feeling like he needed a nice Draco hug.

He got one, a very nice, tight and hard one, the moment he was pulled into the tiny cubicle. His neck was attacked with Draco's perfectly pink lips, and his head was tilted upwards to give him more room. He still didn't feel like serious snogging at the moment, so he pulled Draco's lips to his own. They calmed immediately, stroking slowly across his own, the moment turning sweet. Harry was finally getting tall enough they were close in height, and this kiss had a new element to it, making it all the sweeter. Draco's tongue licked his bottom lip, pulling it into his mouth to suck slowly and his taste flooded Harry's mouth.

He moaned, loving the honey that was Draco's taste. They broke apart slowly, trading pecks before they got a couple inches away, panting and resting their foreheads together.

"Hi." Said Harry, smiling at him, feeling almost completely different than he had when he first walked into the cubicle.

"Hi." Draco returned, grinning instead, eyes bright and silver and wonderful. His hair style was a little different. "How are you?"

"Better now you're here. How are you?"

"I suddenly have reason to be excruciatingly exultant. How was Ms. Brocklehurst? What did you do to upset her?"

"Ha ha," Harry said sarcastically. "You know Sally-Anne, from the Ball last year? Her girlfriend? She didn't show up this year. She's pretty upset."

"Huh. That's pretty strange to just withdraw from Hogwarts, I wonder when the last time that happened was."

"She didn't just withdraw, Babe. Her parents kept her out, because she told them she's gay." Harry watched the sickness cross across Draco's face just as it had his own. Draco sat on the sink, making him level with Harry. "She told me she was going to do it, too. She sounded so hopeful. I know she was thinking they would accept her. I can't believe this."

Draco sighed. "Muggles."

Harry stiffened. Draco sighed again. "I don't mean it like that—really. I just don't know what else to call them. I sometimes wonder…how my parents would react. If they knew."

"I'm sorry, Baby." Harry pulled Draco close, stepping into his space. "I think my parents would be at least ok, they were fine with Sirius. He told me they both had rows with people over treatment of him. But I know exactly how the Dursleys would react. As normal, with the calling me a freak, hitting me, threatening to throw me out on my arse. In fact, that might just have thrown them over the edge. Draco?" He suddenly realized Draco had frozen.

"Sorry," Draco whispered. "It's just a little hard to hear sometimes. I'll get over it." Oh. Harry smiled sheepishly and kissed Draco's forehead. "I always want to hear everything about you, Harry." Draco smiled, and kissed his forehead. Then the bridge of his nose, then the tip. Finally, he got to his lips, and kissed those too. He spent much longer on those than anything else, then moved down to his chin, and lowered them to his neck, following the line. Harry let out a breath shakily. It felt amazing.

* * *

He was grinning and whistling when he returned to the compartment. Ron and Hermione were back, and they, Ginny, Luna and Neville all stared at him. His last note of his whistling went up higher, then cut off. "What," he asked.

They all shook their heads and looked away. Harry sat down, trying to tone down his happiness. "Good bathroom break, mate?" Ron asked. Everyone but Hermione and Luna started laughing. Harry turned red at the insinuation.

"Oh, stop it, Ron." Hermione said. "I'm sure it's not like that."

"No, it's not. Can't a bloke just be happy to be going to school?"

"I suppose you're normally cheerier on the train than normal. You just seem very happy."

"Is that a crime now? Lay off the man, Hermione." Ginny glared at her then turned to Harry. "I enjoy seeing you so cheerful, Harry. Your smile looks good on you."

"Thank you, Ginny." He said, a little uncomfortably. He wasn't great with compliments.

"You were gone for quite a while." Ron input slyly, still on that, the bastard.

"I ran into some people alright?"

"Oh. How is Sally-Anne by the way?" Hermione asked slowly, watching Harry intently. Harry furrowed his eyebrows.

"You heard about that? Yeah, Mandy just told me she's not coming back this year."

"Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry!" Hermione was now aghast.

"Who's Sally-Anne? And Mandy?" Ginny asked, a frown on her face.

"Sal was my date to the Yule Ball last year, Mandy is her girlfriend. Ron and I took them, so they could hang out together. We talked and became friends after that. I can't believe her parents won't let her come back. Can you imagine not being able to go to school?"

"Why would they keep her out?" Hermione asked, looking as if she had found her new worst fear.

Harry sighed. "They're religious muggles, and they don't like her being a witch, or gay. It was apparently too much for them."

"Wait, she's gay?" Hermione asked.

"Why does it matter? Is that a muggle thing?" Ron asked.

"What's being religious got to do with anything?" Neville asked.

"You aren't dating?" Ginny asked, looking at Hermione.

"The Humming Dingers are quite active today." Luna stated, looking out the window. Everyone turned to stare at her. She gave no notice, so Harry shook his head and tried to remember the questions.

"Yes, she's gay, we're not dating, just friends. Er, I don't completely understand it, but some muggles believe that being a witch or wizard is inherently wrong because you use magic. Usually the people that believe that also believe that being gay is too much of an abomination, too."

"Not all of them." Hermione sent a look to Harry. "My parents are Christian, as am I, and they are fine with me being a witch. It's rather outdated to be scared of witches. Most believe magic doesn't exist. It's only certain denominations that say either is wrong."

"I'm sorry, I hope I didn't offend you, Hermione. That's just what they said."

"Who is 'they'?"

"People. Mandy. Sally-Anne. The Dursleys. People in my classes, students. You hear about it from random people, I guess. I didn't mean anything by lumping everyone together, the Dursleys are Christian, but they only act like it on Christmas and Easter."

"Alright, Harry. Just be careful in the future so you don't stereotype."

"I still don't understand how someone can think someone's wrong just for being magical, or gay."

"Some people just believe in different things. Like some people believe in Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and others don't just because no one's seen one." Luna input. Everyone turned to look at her, but she seemed nonchalant about that, simply smiling lightly until they looked away.

"Did everyone think I was dating Sally-Anne?" Harry asked.

"Yes," the compartment collectively answered. Harry shook his head.

"No, we're just good friends. I don't have the right parts for her." It was the first time he had made a joke even remotely dirty, and it went over well. He didn't even blush, while the rest of the compartment laughed.

He ignored Hermione, who was giving him speculative looks. He had forgotten that she was trying to find out his secret, maybe she thought Sally-Anne was the person he was seeing.

"So, who are you dating?" Ginny asked.

"No one." Harry answered, a little thrown off and too quickly.

"Oh. Well that's good news." She gave him a strange look, fluttering her eyelashes rapidly.

"Are you alright, Ginny? I think you have something in your eye." Ginny's mouth fell open and she turned away from him darkly. Harry was completely lost. There were some quiet snickers around the compartment, but Harry had no idea what was funny.

The new defense teacher couldn't have been any more boring. Harry recognized her from his trial and disliked her even before she opened her mouth and started a very boring speech. He was not looking forward to her lesson.

The first day back was a good time to sneak off to meet Draco for about an hour. Everyone would be in the common room, talking about their summer's collectively and he wouldn't be missed in the crowd. They talked about their summers, Harry skirting around where he had stayed, and snogged for a bit. Later that night, he opened the package from Sirius. It was a mirror, used to communicate between two people who had the matching one. He enjoyed talking to Sirius for a couple minutes before they each said goodnight.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was even worse than Harry had hoped. Umbridge, the teacher, was refusing to let them use magic, and was spewing the propaganda that Voldemort wasn't back. Harry got detentions for a week for that. On the plus side, he had a very pleasant conversation with McGonagall.

Detention was awful. Umbridge had him doing lines, but not with a regular quill. She had a special quill that wrote with his own blood, carving the phrase in his skin on the back of his hand. He would have a hard time hiding it from Draco. Fortunately, it mostly healed before they met on Sunday.

Angelina, who had been made quidditch captain, was most displeased he would be missing the tryouts, but there was nothing to be done for it.

On Saturday, he sent his weekly letter to Draco from the owlery. Cho Chang entered and asked him which owl was his. Harry called her down, and she spent several minutes fawning over her. "Such a pretty bird." She said, "almost as pretty as her owner." She looked up at him through her lashes, smiling lightly.

Harry was sure he couldn't be called 'pretty' and recoiled. "I don't consider myself to be her owner. She's more than that to me. She's my friend." He tried not to look too offended. Cho seemed to find this strange, as she blinked, and her mouth opened up.

"That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard! Oh, Harry…" She gave him another weird look, looking up, blinking slowly but frequently, and swayed from side to side. A lot of girls had been looking at him that way recently, was there something in the water? She looked like an airhead like that, therefore less attractive in Harry's opinion. Then again, what did he care what she looked like? She could walk around looking like a complete dunderhead and it wouldn't concern him. He left pretty quickly after that, regardless, even if Filch hadn't had come in accusing him of mailing dung bombs. Cho had saved him from getting detention for that.

The next day, bad news came in threes. Umbridge was made 'High Inquisitor' by the Ministry of Magic, Hermione said it wasn't good. Percy sent Ron a letter basically telling him to stay away from Harry. Sirius got back to Harry through the mirrors to exchange some news. He had tried to talk to him the day before, but Sirius had been busy and asked if he could contact him later. Harry had nodded, hoping his scar hurting with Umbridge touched him wasn't that important.

He was tired as the weeks went by, made worse by his tough nights. He kept having this strange dream where he was running down a long hallway, the door forever stretching ahead of him. It had been happening since the summer, and he was sick and tired of it. He awoke still feeling tired.

Hermione was apparently so upset by Umbridge's teachings she came up with a plan to form a study group, and she wanted Harry to be a leader. Harry told her he'd think about it, but just couldn't see himself as a leader. He did end up making lesson plans in his head, and he finally told her he would do it.

She wanted to have a meeting for everyone interested at the next Hogsmeade visit and Harry didn't have a good enough reason to say no. Draco was disappointed they wouldn't be able to have another date, but they met up the next day and had some butterbeer Harry had smuggled in together.

Harry was a bit worried about Mandy. He had invited her to come along to the meeting, along with a couple of his friends from other houses, like Cedric. She had been morose, wandering around on her own, and Harry hadn't seen her smile since the previous year. He tried to include her whenever there was an inner house study group happening, and she gradually at least gave small smiles. On one day in particular, Harry saw Luna and introduced them. They hit it off; they were in the same house, only a year apart, and Mandy was bubbly enough to pull the best parts of Luna out, Luna cheering up Mandy. Harry saw them together in the corridors sometimes, and finally Mandy started smiling again.

Mandy told Harry in confidence that Sally-Anne had broken it off with her. She said that Sally-Anne was going to a muggle school and some sort of bible class aimed to help her with her leanings and didn't think she would make it back to Hogwarts any time soon. "The noble bitch," Mandy said before crying. "She said she just wants me to be happy." Harry gave her a hug, more comfortable with crying women thanks to her.

The next time he saw Mandy, she had tears in her eyes. It took several more weeks before he saw her smile again. Luna happened to be with her, talking together, when he saw it.

The Defense club, which they had named Dumbledore's Army, turned into one of the best things Harry was doing. Especially after what happened with quidditch.

It was the Slytherin vs. Gryffindor match, and the Slytherins were playing dirty. They had just won the match, despite Harry being thrown from his broom by a rogue bludger when Draco landed pretty close to Harry. They had decided on having a fight the last time they saw each other.

_"So, about the match," Draco had said to Harry, and he came to sit on Harry's lap. He was avoiding looking at Harry's eyes, instead playing with his hair. "I am under a lot of pressure from Montague and the rest of the team. Really, we're all under pressure because the house is tired of losing to Gryffindor. We haven't won a single match against you since you became seeker." He paused, finding a tangle in Harry's hair and trying to get it out._

_"Draco, what are you trying to tell me?" Harry asked, taking his hands in his and kissing them. "You can tell me anything." He added when Draco hesitated._

_"I was thinking we could stage a fight. I think it would help relieve the tension in my house."_

_"Oh. Ok. We do that normally, what's the problem?"_

_Draco finally met Harry's eyes. "I don't want you to get in trouble. You've already had so many detentions this year, I don't want you going any more. And this has to be a big fight. Some of the older years are starting to make fun of me, and that's not a good sign, it could mean utter chaos within the house."_

_Harry didn't understand the innerworkings of Slytherin House's politics, but he didn't need to for him to agree to Draco's plans. Draco had eluded to some of the politics before, but every time he tried to explain it, Harry got lost. All he understood was there was a hierarchy, Draco was near the top, and it was based on way too many components._

_"Oh, and let me tell you about the song…" Draco had said. Harry tried to talk him out of it, but his hands were tied. All of Slytherin had gotten together to write 'Weasley is Our King' and there was no way his sway would allow the cancelation._

"Hey, Potter," Draco called as Gryffindor team landed next to him. "Guess you really saved Weasley this time. You have the savior thing down. I guess you have to be around him. You already saved him by being his friend. I bet he just loves getting donations to the 'Weasley Outreach Program."

"Are you taking donations Malfoy? I heard you've got head-up-arse syndrome."

"They certainly need a lot of help, don't they? Then again, his mother is so fat, you've got to wonder what they're eating," Harry grabbed the back of George's robes to prevent him from going to pummel Draco. What was Draco doing? He was supposed to make fun of Harry, not anyone else.

He continued on, making fun of the Weasleys more than Harry. Katie, Alicia, and Angelina all grabbed Fred to prevent him from attacking Draco as well.

"Now your mother, Potter," Draco said, and George had slipped out of his robes, leaving Harry behind holding them. He got ahead of Harry, and Harry saw Draco's eyes widen as he realized he had made a mistake. Harry made it into a run, but George was too far gone to be dissuaded. He reached Draco, and threw them both to the ground, already punching.

Harry was seconds behind him, trying to get under George and get him to back up that way. Draco's face had blood on it.

"Get a hit in Harry," George yelled, and when he moved Harry tackled him. They landed in a heap on the ground right next to Draco. "What the hell?" George yelled. "Harry, get off me!" He threw a punch that hit Harry on the cheek. He was winded and lost his footing, falling half on George, and moved around trying to get off him.

By that time, others had arrived on the scene. "What are you doing?" Hooch yelled at them. "To your Head of House's office, NOW!"

Harry and George didn't talk as they walked. Harry thought it was a bit unfair that he was in trouble too. They had just made it to McGonagall's office when she came storming up.

"In!" She demanded of them, and once she was sitting at her desk, continued, "Never in all my years have I seen such a disgraceful display. Explain yourselves at once."

"Malfoy was trying to provoke us."

"Of course, he was, he had just lost the match! He certainly succeeded, but that's no excuse for fighting!"

"Harry didn't fight, Professor," George interrupted. He threw a still angry glance in Harry's direction. "He was just trying to pull me off Malfoy. I was the one who hit him."

"I see." McGonagall said, and she looked stunned. She glanced between the two of them. "Is this true, Mr. Potter?"

Harry nodded, gulping. He didn't mind taking punishment he didn't deserve, he was used to it, but he would avoid it if he could. "Malfoy was talking about his mother, Professor. His mother." Some sympathy finally entered McGonagall's eyes.

She sighed. "I suppose Gryffindor house's honor isn't totally spoiled, today. Mr. Potter, it is admirable you tried to prevent a physical fight. Perhaps things would have gone differently if there had been someone there to help you, or perhaps used magic, but that could have easily been a different conversation. I'm very pleased that you did not take part. Twenty points to Gryffindor. Unfortunately, I have to take them away for you, Mr. Weasley. As well as—" she was cut off by a tiny cough.

"Hem, hem." Umbridge came further in the room. "May I help, Professor McGonagall?"

"I can't think of any reason I would need help, Professor Umbridge." McGonagall said. Umbridge drew herself up.

"Unfortunately, I am able to give you one. You see, I went to the minister after you allowed the Gryffindor team to reform, and educational degree number twenty-five was passed, granting full authority of all punishments on students to the High Inquisitor. As High Inquisitor, I have the power to assign punishment, and I find yours sorely lacking. Mr. Potter, I can see that you participated in that fight, we already know you lie to get out of trouble. The entire school saw you fight with both Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Weasley. I think it is only fair that you are banned from quidditch, and another week's worth of detention."

"What?"

"As for you, Mr. Weasley, you are also banned from playing quidditch and you shall have two weeks of detention. I think it would be safe if his twin is also banned."

"What?"

"The rest of the team can continue playing, I saw no sign of violence there. Well, good afternoon to you all," she simpered, and departed.

All three of them stared after her.

"Professor, she can't-!"

"I'm afraid she can." McGonagall was white. "There is nothing I can do. I'm sorry, gentlemen. The punishment stands."

Harry was furious. He had to get out of there. Draco would be in the hospital wing, and he wasn't exactly happy with him either. He was worried, as he didn't look too good with bruises all over his face, but he couldn't let go of that little bit of anger. They were supposed to trade insults, grab each other, then be pulled apart before things could get too serious. If they had to, they had practiced making slaps look real as the other would turn his head.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. "Where are you going, Harry?" George asked, looking furious as well, but keeping his voice somewhat even.

"Hospital wing." Harry pointed to his face, where a bruise was forming. George winced.

"Yeah that's a good idea for me too. Hopefully she'll fix it, sometimes she doesn't for fights. I'm sorry for hitting you, by the way."

"It's alright." Harry said, and he was fine with it, "I know how angry you were. I was pissed too."

"Yeah," George said, and they walked in silence. "He insulted your mum too, Harry. Why didn't you hit him? I gave you a shot, and instead you took me down. What gives?"

Harry gulped but tried to hide that he had. "Malfoy is always insulting me. I don't think he has any original material, so it was pretty easy to ignore."

"Ah," George muttered. "I just thought it was sort of weird for you to be defending him like that."

"I wasn't!" Harry said quickly. Is that what it had looked like? That was the opposite intent. "I was just trying to prevent you from killing him. Katie, Angelina, and Alicia were holding Fred back. We just didn't want you to get into trouble and cost us points."

"Oh." George finally looked convinced. That was a close one. "I'm sorry, Harry, I guess I'm just fried. I can't believe we're banned from quidditch. That bitch!"

"More like Umbitch." Harry muttered.

George grinned. "Hey, yeah!" They spent the rest of the journey to the hospital wing insulting Umbridge. When they got there, a group of Slytherins were just exiting. They jeered and insulted them as they passed, but neither of them rose to the bait.

"Oh, it's you," Madam Pomfrey clucked her tongue. "I've been expecting you. Take a seat on the bed."

They both chose beds away from Draco, who was lying still at the end of the ward. Harry ached with a want to go see him.

Madam Pomfrey gave him a potion before healing his face and sending him off, it was the quickest trip to the hospital wing yet. He wanted to stay for Draco, and for George, but there was no way of doing that without looking suspicious and Madam Pomfrey was indeed taking her sweet time in healing George.

"He'll be up in the common room soon, dear, now get out of here. Don't you have a win to celebrate?" Harry had almost forgotten. Celebrating quidditch victory was the last thing he felt like doing just then. With one last look at Draco, he left the wing.

No one else felt like celebrating either. The night passed horribly, and Harry ached to go see Draco. They really needed a way of communicating other than letters. That was when he got an idea.

He wanted to be able to communicate with Draco like the two-way mirrors could. Something that they could carry with them, something discreet that wouldn't be strange for two boys to carry. It was too bad they weren't girls, or he might consider getting another pair of mirrors for them. That wouldn't work anyway, however, as he wanted something that they might use in class, that would be fun. There were spells on their letters to make it look like someone else wrote them, writing messages back and forth would be convenient. Was there a gadget in the wizarding world that he was thinking of?

The night of the quidditch match and Harry getting a lifelong ban on quidditch, Hagrid returned. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were out the door to meet him. Hagrid had apparently been with the giants. They (Hagrid and Madam Maxime) hadn't had much luck on their mission, and Hagrid looked terrible, like he had been beaten.

After they got back, he placed a mirror call to Sirius to talk about the gadget he had concocted. He said it would be challenging for him to make it, but doable. He gave Harry some spells used on the Marauder's map, and a list of spells to look up in the library. Harry would normally ask either Hermione or Draco for help, but he didn't want Hermione to know, and he decided to make it a present for Draco.

He was still a little mad at Draco. He told him so when they met up on Sunday. Harry got there before Draco, so he was able to see Draco pause and come in slowly.

"I know you're mad." Draco said as he purposefully sat in his chair. Sometimes, more frequently lately, he had been sitting on Harry's lap. Harry nodded. "I think I lost it a bit. I'm sorry. I got caught up in the testosterone, and the game, and Weasley was already on the roll, and honestly, I'm tired of losing. So, I lost it."

He got up and had started pacing as he talked. Harry sighed and leaned forward, thinking. It really wasn't that great of an excuse. "Sit down." He requested. Draco stopped to sit in his chair, Harry tried not to take it as an omen. "Draco, I'm not mad, not anymore. But I don't want to be with someone who was as cruel as you were yesterday."

Draco reared back. "Just what are you saying?" He suddenly looked positively terrified.

Harry leaned forward to take his hand, stroking the top of it comfortingly. Draco took several deep breaths and looked at Harry as if his heart was breaking. "It means that I love you, and I want to be with you, the you you are when it's just you and me. The you that treats me with such gentleness and kindness. That person yesterday was so mean, and I know that you aren't really like that. I'm just so tired, with having to pretend we hate each other, all the fighting, all the lying. It's really hard, babe."

Draco looked like he was about to cry, and Harry wasn't that far from it. "Oh, Sweetheart," Draco whispered. "It's so hard on me too. I want to walk you to class, and eat meals together, and see the looks on our friends' faces when they hear about all the poetry I wax about how much I love about you. I hate all the fighting, I absolutely hate it. I'm just, I'm just so scared…" He lost the grip on his emotions and was crying, hard as his voice broke on the final sentence.

Harry was up and jumping into his lap by the time he said 'scared.' He pulled Draco into his arms, hugging him as tightly as he could. He demanded, "come here, Baby, come here," as Draco was resisting being pulled into the hug. Draco finally came and let out a loud sob onto Harry's shoulder. Harry held him even tighter and started rubbing his back. Draco cried for a long time, his head buried in Harry's collar, Harry swaying them gently back and forth.

He could feel his heart breaking and hoped it hadn't been what he said that set Draco off. Gradually, his sobs quietened, and he sat there sniffling, soaking up Harry's comfort.

"My father put me under the cruciatus curse." Harry gasped, trying to look down at him. "This summer. He was disappointed in me one time too many. He said I needed to learn all I could, and quickly. He finally told me he was a Death Eater, and that the Dark Lord was back. He said that I would need to get used to it. He said it was for my own good." A couple more sobs escaped him, and Harry resumed his rocking. He had stopped during Draco's story.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered into Draco's hair, kissing it softly. Draco took several shuddering breaths and lifted his head.

"Please don't break up with me. I don't know what to do. I can't leave, I just can't, I'm the heir, and I care about my family's honor. I don't know if I'd make it out, even, I don't know if my father would—" he cut off, shuddering again. "I don't know what to do, Harry."

Harry moved his face, so he could see Draco's. "I'm not breaking up with you, my love. I just want you to think about the very near future and what we can do about your Father. I want you to leave." Draco sniffled. "I'm serious. I don't care about the Malfoy honor, I care about you, about your life. You can come and stay with me and Sirius, ok? No one needs to know where you went over the summer, you show up at school and you're safe, then you're seventeen and you'd be leaving anyway. Why are you afraid of leaving?"

Draco took a deep breath. "There are ways to force me to stay, to get me back if I escape. I don't want my Father to have to use any of the methods, then I don't know what he would do. I don't know, Harry."

"Ok, Baby, ok." He pulled Draco's face into his neck again, not caring about him sniffling. He wished he had a handkerchief to give him.

Draco eventually quietened completely, but he stayed in Harry's arms for a long time. Harry held him, willing to sit there as long as he needed to.

"We will need to come up with a plan." Harry stated when Draco finally sat up. Draco sighed but nodded.

"I'm working on something, looking to see if I can get myself emancipated quietly without notification to my parents. There are very old laws, and I think I might be able to by the time I'm sixteen, and it's a lot easier then."

"That's good." Harry was thinking. He was busy thinking. Maybe there were protective magics he could employ. His parents had a charm on their house to protect anyone from knowing where he was, hadn't they? Wasn't that just what he needed?

He decided to talk to Sirius, this was a bit over his head, and he could use some advice from an adult who knew about them. He mentioned the idea to Draco, who sighed and agreed they could use some help. Harry kissed him in thanks, he knew it was hard for him to give up that control. Harry told Draco about the lifelong ban, and he was suitably angry.

"I would have thought you'd be happy." Harry said, ever so slightly bitter. "You said you wanted to win."

"I never meant this way. I just want to be better than you. This is an outrage. There's no honor in cheating, and that's what this is. That bitch. She's going to have everyone wanting to kill her by Christmas." Harry chuckled. "I'm serious, no one hurts you and gets away with it! I really wish you'd go to Dumbledore."

"When McGonagall went to Dumbledore, she got her authority stripped, what do you think will happen to me?"

"Ugh, Harry, please don't use the words McGonagall, Dumbledore, and stripping in the same sentence."

Harry laughed. He pushed Draco lightly, and Draco pushed him back. They got into a slight pushing war and tumbled onto the ground, rolling until they were on the cushions. They laughed between kisses as they finally came to a stop, still holding each other.

Unfortunately, the moment only lasted until Draco checked the time and they jumped up, trying to get to their respective common rooms before curfew. Harry didn't make it.

It was too late to talk to Sirius that night, but he managed the next night. He told Sirius that Draco was afraid to go home, and afraid to leave, and just afraid. Sirius listened attentively, nodding along, and when Harry was done, he was silent. After a moment, he said he had some ideas and would get back to him.

Since he no longer had to go to quidditch practice, he spent the time on his communication project. He didn't want anyone to see what he was working on, so he mostly did it at night, going to sleep a little earlier than normal. The biggest problem he had was not having anything to work on. He tried the spells on parchment, and that worked well enough, but he wanted something they could carry on their person. His bracelet Draco had given him the year before caught his eye, and he decided something like that would work perfectly.

He was able to owl order two silver bracelets that had a large square on them, similar to an ID bracelet. The finished product had a basic design of Celtic knots that everyone could see, but he had enchanted anything that was written to be hidden. He could talk into or write on the bracelet and what he said would appear on the matching one. He was quite proud of himself for his accomplishment and couldn't wait for Christmas.

His other project was going pretty well as well. Sirius had told him he was planning on buying a house and putting it under the fidelius charm. He had a grudge with that particular spell, so he was adding on magics that were on the Black family home as well, making it as safe as possible for Harry, and Draco if he did end up coming to stay with them. Sirius had agreed to that before Harry had gotten the question out.

He had come up with the idea of making a portkey for Draco. He had read the theory book over the summer and thought he could make the very complicated homing-portkey. It worked differently than other portkeys in that it was activated on a code word and would transport to an object, not a specific place. If the object were to move, the portkey would too. Harry came up with the idea of making a portkey out of a necklace that Draco could wear at all times. He would make the homing object a necklace that he would wear, then, if Draco was in danger, he could say a codeword and be transported to wherever Harry happened to be.

In his research, he had stumbled on several protection charms that warded against dark magic. He wasn't sure if it would protect him against the spells Lucius would use on him, but he figured it couldn't hurt, and added them to the bracelet as well.

Then, one night when he snuck into the restricted section, he found more powerful spells that could protect against almost anything. It was very complicated, however. It required potion ingredients, and casting spells on full moons, it would take several months, at least. He made the decision to give Draco the bracelet for Christmas and the necklace to him when it was done.

The weeks passed by very quickly, and soon it was almost time for term break. The final meeting of the D.A. had let out, and Harry was the third to last person in the room. The two others were Cedric and Cho.

He wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to leave, but he didn't want to with two people still there and didn't know whether to go to Cho or Cedric. They got along well enough if forced to, but he noticed that they generally avoided each other.

Cedric was closer, reading a book from the shelf Hermione had requested. "Hey, I'm almost done with this chapter, is that ok?"

Harry nodded, and changed paths to walk to Cho. "Hey," he said.

He was surprised to see that she was crying. "Is everything alright?" He asked stupidly.

She nodded, sniffling and glancing over at Cedric. "Yeah, it's just hard sometimes. I'm so scared, Harry." All of a sudden, he had an armful of Cho as she threw herself into his arms. Harry returned her hug awkwardly.

"Are things ever going to get better?" She whispered into his neck, and Harry was distinctly uncomfortable.

"Well, sometimes things have to get hard before they get easy." He started squirming a bit, hoping she'd take a hint and dislodge herself from him. He wanted to tell her to just get off him, but he was a bit too polite for that. He was beginning to suspect that she wanted something more than just friendship from him, and he wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't tell her he had a boyfriend, could he? The more he spread it around, the more likely it was that someone would find out about Draco. "Sometimes the absolute best things in life are hard."

His relationship with Draco could be hard at times. It was difficult hiding things from his friends, acquaintances, even strangers. He wanted to shout from the top of the astronomy tower that he had the best boyfriend in the castle, but he couldn't. He wanted to scream that Draco wasn't the arsehole everyone expected him to be. He was a true sweetheart, as he called Harry, and it killed him when they had to fight to protect their secret.

Cho lifted her head from his shoulder, looking up at him through her lashes, biting her lip. Harry was slowly distancing himself from her, hoping against hope she wasn't actually thinking about kissing him…

She apparently was. With total suddenness, she threw her head at his, and as far as Harry leaned back, she followed him. It was so awkward, and lasted only a second, but her lips touched his.

He dodged to the side and they disconnected. Oh, this was so weird, now. They stared at each other, neither knowing what to say. Thankfully, there was an interruption.

"I'm leaving now, Harry, I was hoping to have a moment alone with you? Want to walk out for a bit?" It was Cedric, with a grin and his winning tone of voice, apparently clueless to what had just happened.

Harry looked at him in relief. "Yeah, sure. Sorry, Cho, er—Happy Christmas."

She gave him a heartbroken look, tears still in her eyes, as she ran out of the room.

"What was that about?" Cedric asked, as they too left.

"Er, not sure. She's your ex, any idea?"

Cedric shrugged, and they walked in silence. Harry realized after a minute Cedric was trying to escort him to Gryffindor Tower, but he was scheduled to see Draco, in fact he was a bit late.

"How do you know where Gryffindor is?" Harry asked.

Cedric looked surprised. "All the prefects know where all the common rooms are. It's for safety and security, but also for fun."

Harry gave a small chuckle. "I'm actually hungry, I was going to go to the kitchens."

"Oh." They changed directions, heading towards the dungeons, "you know, students aren't actually allowed in the kitchens."

"Oh," Harry said, looking at him. "I didn't know that, never mind." He was trying to shake Cedric, and he felt a little bad about that, but he knew Draco would be a little offended at him being so late. He wished Cedric would just get to the point.

"Harry," Cedric laughed as Harry put some distance between them, trying to get away. "It's alright, I'm not going to take points or get you in trouble. It will be our little secret." He had reached out and grabbed Harry's hand, pulling him back to where he'd been. It was fine, except he didn't let go. Oh. Shit.

"Er—" he said, pulling his hand free. They walked a couple meters in silence. Cedric didn't seem bothered. He was. Two moves had been made on him in less than ten minutes, by two people, neither of which was his secret boyfriend he couldn't tell either about.

They reached the portrait of a bowl of fruit and stood facing each other awkwardly, at least on Harry's part.

"Thanks for walking with me Harry. I was hoping we could spend some more time together, I really enjoyed competing with you last year."

"Yeah, I enjoyed that too, I guess." Harry added dubiously.

Cedric laughed. "Yeah, when we weren't fighting for our lives. Anyway, Happy Christmas, if I don't see you." He walked away, and Harry couldn't be more relieved. He hurriedly ripped his invisibility cloak out of his bag and ran to their room.

"I'm sorry I'm late!" He panted as he entered. Draco raised one eyebrow, unimpressed, as he looked up from the book he was reading. He checked his watch melodramatically.

"Oh, are you? I hadn't noticed." His tone was as wounded as his demeanor. Harry sighed. He slouched over and threw himself down at Draco's feet.

"Please, please forgive me!" He begged as he looked up at Draco.

Finally, Draco smiled, looking pleased and regal, with his chest puffed up. "Now that is a pleasing sight. Grovel some more."

Harry chuckled, trying to keep it in, but went on, "Oh, holiest of lords, if it is my grievous mistake that displeases you, might I throw myself down on a sword for your pleasure. Might I cut out my heart, and give it to you, still beating, for it beats for you. I shall counterpoise at your discretion. Anything you wish, I shall obtain. Anything—"

"Alright, alright, you gigantic sap, I forgive you." He was laughing, pulling him up to sit on his lap, and Harry was straddling him. Draco leaned forward, trying to kiss him, but Harry pulled back. He had remembered what had happened earlier that night, and he wasn't sure how Draco was going to react.

"There's something I need to tell you." Harry said nervously. Draco sat back, a curious, innocent look on his face. Harry took a deep breath, "earlier tonight, I was in the Room of Requirement, and Cho was in there. She was crying, so I went up to her, and she hugged me."

"What is it with crying women coming to you?" Draco laughed.

"There's more. She was already so close to me, and she gave me this look, and I realized she wanted to kiss me, right before she went for it. I tried to back up, but she followed me. I ducked out as soon as I could, and it was just for a second, I swear." He said this all very fast. Draco's smile had slowly melted from his face.

"She kissed you?" He asked, and Harry for once couldn't read every emotion on his face. He could tell there was anger, and disappointment, but was that resignation? What was the other emotion? "She kissed my Harry?" This was more said to himself.

"I'm sorry, Draco, I didn't know what else to do. There wasn't anything I could do without, I don't know, hitting her, or maybe yelling at her. It just happened so fast. I'm so sorry." He really did feel terribly, even if he knew there was nothing he could do.

Draco sighed and put his head in his hands. Harry bit his lip and felt a beginning of an attack happening. He couldn't lose Draco. He just couldn't, he would die without Draco. A long, painful, torturous death. He pulled back, but Draco reached out his other arm and pulled him closer.

Harry's breathing picked up, "I'm so sorry, Baby, I swear, I didn't—"

"Hush, Harry. It's ok." He pulled his head out of his hand so he could look into Harry's eyes. "I'm not angry at you. I know you, and I know you'd never cheat on me. You told me right away, so everything is ok. I'm pissed at Chang, how dare she, but when you get right down to it, everyone thinks you're single. You are a hell of a catch, Harry, I've been expecting something like this for a while. You are so handsome, intelligent, funny, sassy, and everything I've ever wanted. I think it's likely that something like this will happen again."

Harry stared at Draco. He couldn't believe how forgiving he was. "You're really ok? You're not mad?"

Draco smiled, and it reached his eyes. "No, I'm not mad. I love you."

"I love you too." Harry leaned forward and gave him a peck. "That's really all it was."

"That? That was nothing, give me some more." Harry kissed him longer this time.

"Cedric was acting weird too," Harry said when they parted. "He tried to walk me to the tower, and he held my hand for a minute. What should I tell him?"

Draco frowned, then sighed. "I just don't know Harry. Let's think about it over the holidays. Maybe it's time to spread a rumor that you're dating someone. Maybe someone from Beauxbatons."

Harry nodded. "Speaking of which, I know we're going to try to meet tomorrow, but I want to make sure you get your gift." Draco grinned.

"We thought the same," he said, pulling his bag from beside him. Harry pulled his out and handed him the badly wrapped green parcel. Draco handed him his in red. He smiled.

He opened it carefully as Draco tore into his. "Oh, Harry, this is beautiful." He handed the bracelet to Harry and held out his wrist that didn't have one already on it. "Put it on me."

He latched it on, "it's more than just pretty. I have a matching one, and they can be used to communicate. See the writing? If you speak or write on it, the words will go to mine. It also has a slight perception filter, so no one will notice it, a small shield charm to protect you from minor hexes and jinxes, and it's scratch resistant."

Draco beamed. "This is incredible. It makes me feel like I should have gotten more for you."

"I already love whatever it is." He said as he returned to his own present, opening it slower than Draco had. It was a silver dragon pendant, with what he suspected were diamonds for eyes. "Oh, Draco, I do love it. This is gorgeous. Thank you!"

"Thank you!" Draco said, as they leaned forward to hug each other.

Harry escorted Draco to the Slytherin Common Room before heading up to his. That night, he dreamed of Draco. Then, just as things were getting really good, the dream changed. He was a snake, slithering on the floor. He attacked someone! When he awoke, he realized it had been Mr. Weasley who was laying on the ground somewhere with poisoned bites.

The next minutes were long and confusing. McGonagall was suddenly there, escorting him and Ron to Dumbledore. Dumbledore did things with gadgets around his office and sent portraits to check on Mr. Weasley. Then, just as a portkey was about to set off with Ginny, George, and Fred with them, Harry felt a stream of rage travel up his spine. He wanted to attack Dumbledore, just as he had attacked Mr. Weasley.

Sirius was there, they were at Grimmauld Place, and they spent the rest of the night sitting around the table in silence, waiting for news. It finally came in the form of Mrs. Weasley, who said, "He's going to be ok," and it was like the tension was released.

As the Weasleys shared a group hug, Harry went to Sirius. "Hey, kiddo, want to help me with breakfast?" Harry did, and actually ended up directing Sirius, who was not that good of a cook. Eventually, he went to sit while Harry handled everything. Mrs. Weasley tried to bustle in, but Harry waved her off; he needed to do something with his hands, he felt so awful.

After breakfast, he asked to talk to Sirius about what he had experienced that night. How he was a snake, how he had wanted to attack Dumbledore. Unfortunately, it didn't help that much and Harry was left feeling like a freak. _Merry Christmas to m_e, he told himself sadly.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading, I hope you've enjoyed thus far and will continue to do so! I hope no one is too mad at me for what happened to Sally-Anne. I did consider much worse things happening to her, so I hope that helps. This does answer the question of where she went, as she's mentioned in the first book, but not the fifth. I've always been curious about that, and I love hearing theories. I don't know if anyone will read close enough to tell, but the handkerchief Mandy wiped her eyes with in this chapter is the same one Sally-Anne gave her the previous year when she was crying before the Yule Ball.**

**Not all relationships are going to be like Harry and Draco's. Most relationships don't last from teen aged years til they die, and it's not special if they all get together right away and stay that way.**


	9. Year 5 Part III

Harry was feeling secluded.

Ron, Ginny, and Hermione, who had arrived after term ended, confronted Harry but that didn't go much better.

"I don't want anyone to talk to me," Harry said to them.

"Well that's stupid, seeing as you don't know anyone but me who's been possessed by You-Know-Who and I can tell you what it feels like."

Harry sighed. "Ginny, if I am possessed, it's totally different. Who's to say there's not more than one type of possession? You wrote in a diary and I haven't done anything of the sort. What if a piece of Voldemort," all three flinched, "was in me all along? Dumbledore says I have a connection to Voldemort, and it's unique. None of us, including you, Dumbledore, or any member of the Order, know what that entails."

All of them looked varying degrees of horrified. Harry looked down.

"Well, when I was possessed, I had memory loss, do you have any blank spots in your memory?"

"Weren't you listening? It's different."

"Oh, Harry." Hermione whispered. "We don't know that for sure."

"Are you really willing to take a chance on that? I should leave, then all of you will be safe."

"Just where are you going to go, Harry? You're not making any sense. You just said no one knows for sure, including you."

Harry stared at her. "When we were leaving, I looked into Dumbledore's eyes and I felt a desire to attack him. I felt something within me wanting to attack Voldemort's worst enemy. It happened, and I remember it. Does that sound like I'm not possessed?"

They stared at him, now completely terrified, and Harry left.

A couple hours later, there was a knock on the door, and Sirius entered Buckbeak's bedroom. "Hey." He said.

Harry nodded at him and continued petting Buckbeak. He was ignoring everyone, including Draco. He wasn't safe.

"I just had a very interesting talk with Hermione and Ginny. They seem to think that you think you're possessed."

Harry tried not to feel betrayed, but he couldn't help it. He didn't say anything. "Harry, I know that you heard the talk at St. Mungo's. I wish you hadn't, but maybe it's a good thing. I was always in favor of telling you everything, but Dumbledore is a lot wiser than me. But I'm your godfather, and my first priority is you." Harry still didn't look at him or say anything. He had never been an adult's first priority before, it was hard not to get choked up.

"Harry, we don't know for sure, but we really don't think you were possessed. We think it was the other way around. We don't know for sure how your connection works, but we think you entered Voldemort's head, and you have before, when you sleep and see what Voldemort is doing. Voldemort has been unaware of the connection, but we think he knows now. That doesn't mean that he can just take over you whenever he wants. There is a discipline of magic, called Occlumency, that protects the mind against invasion. Dumbledore believes that if you study this, it will protect you if Voldemort decides to try to control you."

"Really?" Harry whispered. He was relieved in many ways, the biggest being that someone was finally being honest with him. "You really think I wasn't possessed? What about when I wanted to attack Dumbledore? When can I start Occlumency?"

Sirius smiled at him, and Harry was gratified by it. "I think if you were it was that one time for one second. But I don't think that's likely, especially after listening to Ginny's account of when she was possessed. I agree with you, I think it's something totally different, whatever it is, it's totally unique to you. And you can get started right away, there are books in the library you can read, and we're working on finding you a teacher."

Harry felt hope blossom in his chest. "I'll go now," he said.

"Hang on, there's just one thing I want you to know. The thing is, you can't tell anyone, not Draco, not Ron and Hermione. Can you do that?" Harry nodded, slowly.

"What if Voldemort tries to get at what you want to tell me?"

Sirius shook his head. "He already knows, so there's no danger there. I've just been instructed not to tell you, but I see no reason not to, I think you can handle it." When Harry nodded seriously, he continued. "I know you think you're the weapon the Order is guarding, but you're not. It's in the Department of Mysteries, and Voldemort wants it. Dumbledore thinks that he may try and get you to go and get it for him."

"What is it?" Harry whispered.

Sirius sighed. "That, I don't know. Nobody but Dumbledore knows what it is. That's the really big secret. Everyone is pretending like they know, but no one actually does. We just know that it's important to the war effort."

"No one knows? How does that help?"

Sirius shrugged. "I don't always agree with Dumbledore's methods, but he has done this before, I have to trust that he knows what he's doing, and you should too."

Harry petted Buckbeak again, "I know I should, but it's just so hard sometimes. Dumbledore hasn't looked at me since last year, did you know that? I know he's mad at me, I just don't know what to do to make it up to him."

Sirius frowned. "I don't think he's upset at you, Harry. If it's bothering you, you should talk to him about it."

"Yeah, right."

"I'm serious!"

"Hi, Sirius, I'm Harry," Harry held out his hand to shake and Sirius threw his head back and laughed.

"Oh god, your dad used to make that stupid joke." He wiped a tear from his eye. "I bet that's why he named you Harry. It's a nice, puny name. Oh man, I miss him." He said the last part wistfully. Harry looked down at his hands. "You know, you were born with a full head of hair. Maybe that's another reason they settled on your name."

"Really?" Sirius and Harry talked about Harry's dad for a long time after that. Sirius's eyes were a little shiny when he excused himself; Harry didn't mention it, after all, his eyes were a little shiny too.

The next thing he did was respond to Draco. He had been sending messages all day. Harry had responded that he was alright, but nothing else. Now, he felt better enough to talk to him.

Sorry, Babe, I've had a crazy couple days. He waited a moment and got a response immediately.

Finally! Where have you been? Harry thought for a moment.

I'll tell you about it when I get back, it's a long story.

Alright fine. You're ok, though right?

Yeah, I am now. I wish I could see you though, it's going to suck waiting a couple weeks.

Have fun with your godfather, this is your first Christmas together. You should enjoy your time together. We have the rest of our lives to spend together.

Harry smiled at that. He was enjoying himself as much as he could over the last couple days, but he still felt bad for Draco, he knew how lonely it could get spending Christmas at Hogwarts. He was playing with the idea of going back halfway through the holiday and surprising him, but he wasn't sure he could do that to Sirius, who had been looking forward to this since the summer.

I'm going to miss our Christmas dance, he said instead.

We can dance anytime you want, Sweetheart. Came the reply.

I'm going to be studying something called Occlumency.

Oh, I've heard of that. My mother is an Occlumens. Now that I think about it, that's a great idea. I'll do it with you. Harry was heartened to hear that.

That would be great, I don't know much about it.

It's hard to describe. It's basically a shield for your mind so that Legilimens can't attack you. Why are you learning it, anyway?

Voldemort.

Ah, enough said. I'll get some books, I'm sure the library has some, but they'll be from an academic point of view, not practical. By the way, I love this.

What?

Being able to talk to you like this, it's like you're in the room with me. You did fantastic with the charms, by the way.

Thanks Babe. I'm so glad you like it.

They talked for a little while longer before Harry excused himself to go to the library. He did find several books on the subject, including a basic guide that was very helpful. After a while of reading, Hermione found him, and they talked for a while. He told her that Sirius didn't think he was possessed, and that was good enough for him. Hermione was very relieved and interested in Occlumency. She helped him look for more books and promised to help him scour the school library when they got back.

The days leading up to Christmas were a lot more fun than the past few days had been. Mr. Weasley finally recovered enough to come home just in time. Sirius had confessed to Harry that he had wished they could stay at his new house, but with all the people there, there wouldn't be room for everyone and that was more important. Grimmauld had finally started to look less dreary with it being mostly clean and decorations put up everywhere.

Despite the rocky start, they had a lovely time over Christmas break, and before Harry knew it, it was time to go back to school. The only bad thing that had happened was Snape informing him he was going to be his Occlumency teacher. He had read up on the theory and thought he had a reasonably good handle on it, but he was not looking forward to it, or going back to school. He was going back to Hogwarts for two things, the DA and Draco. He had fantasized about staying with Sirius and not having to go back, but he couldn't be separated from Draco that long. He just hated Umbridge and her methods of taking away everything that was important to him.

It turned out he wasn't that great at Occlumency, at least according to Snape. His method was completely different from how the books said to do things. Harry complained about that to anyone who would listen. Draco was the most sympathetic, since he knew how hard Occlumency was. He had no way of being tested, but Harry thought Draco was doing much better than he was.

His other project, Draco's portkey necklace , was coming along, but slowly. It took a lot of power and research. He was hoping it would be done in time for Valentine's Day, but it was stuck only going a couple feet. Harry had tested it on a dummy in the Room of Requirement. He thought that maybe the room's magic was interfering with the magic in the necklace. He wasn't sure he wanted to test that out until he was sure it wouldn't result in his insides becoming his outsides, or something.

Instead, he began planning a full day for Draco, since it was his year to plan Valentine's day in exchange for forgetting Valentine's last year. He thought he had come up with a unique idea that Draco would love. He had told Harry that he and his mother went to a spa resort once a year in France every summer since he was old enough to know what a mud bath was. His father was ok with that when he was a child, since he wasn't sure what the resort entailed. He found out the previous summer, however, and had declared it too feminine for his pureblood heir. Draco had said it wasn't a big deal, but he said it in a way that meant it was.

So, Harry was going to turn the Room of Requirement into a spa for the day. He had already tested out what the room could do after finding out what the resort offered. He was going to do the mud bath, a jacuzzi, a massage, a facial, and attempt to do a mani-pedi, which he was not looking forward to. Harry could see Mr. Malfoy's point that everything was a little girly, but he was realizing he would do anything for Draco.

Unfortunately, there was a small bump in the road. Cho accosted him one day when he was on the way to Transfiguration, and it didn't go well.

"Hi, Harry!" She said, beaming, and walked very close to him. He was surprised at her sunny demeanor after their last encounter.

"Er—hi, Cho." He said uncertainly.

She bumped his shoulder with hers. "I know what you were doing." Cho said, smiling at him as one might look at a baby lamb. "It's ok, I shouldn't have kissed you with Cedric in the room."

"Er—yeah, well it's ok." He said, glad that they could get over this and move on with their lives.

"Next time, it will be somewhere more…private?"

"Private?" Harry asked, now confused, and dreading having to deal with this.

"I'm sorry Harry, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got to go!" She smiled and raced off. Harry called after her, finally realizing he had just landed himself in a heap of trouble.

To make matters worse, every time he saw her, she was always running off, almost like she was avoiding him. To make things even more complicated, Hermione decided his day was open and told him to meet her at the three Broomsticks at noon. He told her he had plans, but Hermione just said he could bring her.

"What? Who?"

"Honestly, Harry you can stop pretending. I know."

"You do?" Harry asked, face paling.

She smiled gently at him, and said, "Yeah, I figured it out a little while ago. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"You won't? You don't mind?" He couldn't believe how happy he was at her acceptance. He had realized that part of him didn't want to tell Ron and Hermione about Draco, afraid that they wouldn't accept it.

"Why would I mind?" Ok, now Harry had a clue that they might be having two conversations. "Oh, Harry, I don't have time to tell you all about it, but it's really, really important that you come, alright? I've got to send a letter! See you later!" With that, she was off. What was it with women and running away from him?

He couldn't find Cho, but he found her friend Marietta. He asked her to tell Cho that he couldn't go on the date, and she promised to find her.

That taken care of, he set off to the Room of Requirement. He had told Draco to meet him across the corridor outside the room. Draco was already there, and he looked excited. "Hey Potter!" He called with his sneer in case there was someone around. "Alone on Valentine's Day, eh? Why am I not surprised?"

"Like you, you mean?" Harry responded heatedly, as he called the room he needed forth. When the door appeared, he checked that the coast was clear and covered Draco's eyes, leading him blindly into the room.

He spun Draco around, so he was facing Harry and the door, back to the room so he wouldn't get a hint about what the day entailed. "Before you look, I want to give you your present." Draco grinned.

"I won't say no to that." He held out his hands eagerly. Harry pulled his gift out of his bag, it was wrapped a little better than his Christmas present, but not by much. Draco seemed to not care as he ripped it open.

He pulled out a black robe, made of fine silk, embroidered with his initials. On top was an eye mask, with the words "Do Not Distur" written in the same cursive silver. Rounding it off was a pair of slippers.

"This is very nice," Draco said, grinning and nodding. He looked impressed and Harry gave himself a mental pat on the back.

"Well, you're going to need it for…" he spun Draco so he could see the room, "your spa day!" Draco gasped, and Harry had to admit he was admiring what the room had done as well. The entire room was white tiles with gold trimming, plants scattered throughout the room. In one corner there was a mud pit, on the other was a shower with three nozzles above it. In the center of the back wall was a waterfall that fell into a small pool, just smaller than the tub in the perfect's bathroom. In another corner was a huge padded chair with a small foot tub under it. The opposite corner had a similar padded table.

"Harry…this is..." Draco chuckled disbelievingly. "I can't believe you did all this. This is perfect!" He flung his arms around Harry and kissed him hard. Harry kissed back happily, wishing he could spend the whole day here, with Draco.

"There's just one catch." Harry reluctantly admitted as they pulled apart. "I have to leave, for about, oh, an hour, hour and a half, I hope. But I'm going to go to the Three Broomsticks for our lunch, and part two of your gift!"

Draco frowned, eyebrow raised. "Why, exactly, do you need to leave on this day you are making up to me for missing last year?" His tone was carefully controlled, but he didn't sound angry yet.

"It's a long story. I'm not sure, either. Hermione just told me to meet her and it was super important."

Draco snorted, and shook his head with his eyes closed. "Harry, you are very lucky you have a boyfriend already."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing. When do you need to leave?"

"Around eleven? I was thinking we could start with the mud bath, then go to the pool, then mani-pedi, then massage, but I think we need to do the mani-pedi first, then you can relax in one of the baths while I'm gone, it's up to you which one." Draco nodded, now smiling. "I'm sorry, Baby. If I could say no to Hermione, I would."

"It's alright. This is all so sweet and wonderful I think you've earned yourself a free pass. Come here." He opened his arms and Harry wrapped his around Draco's torso. "Happy Valentine's. I love you, Harry."

"I love you too, Draco. Happy Valentine's." They pulled apart slowly and exchanged a quick peck. "Why don't you get changed, and I'll start setting this up?"

Draco nodded, and Harry walked to the chair. He called Dobby, and, as prearranged, he brought Harry a pitcher of something called 'cucumber water' and a bucket of steaming water.

Draco looked incredible in his robe. It clung to him where it tied and didn't close all the way on his chest. He took a seat on the chair, with a huge grin, and said, "Pamper me!" Harry chuckled and with soft music playing in the background, started applying the strange goop that was apparently a 'mask.' He moved on to Draco's fingernails, with Draco's feet in the steaming water.

"This would have been better in the order you said first, but I understand why we're doing it this way. You're doing that wrong, by the way, here." He showed Harry how to do all the stuff he thought he had learned how to do for this moment. He was hardly embarrassed, however; he had never been pamper like Draco had.

He just had time to finish on the pedicure part when it was time to leave. He gave a hand to Draco, helping him up, and lead him over to the bath. Draco gave him a smirk, then kicked off his slippers one by one before turning away from him and letting the robe fall to the floor where it pooled.

He placed his order with Madam Rosmerta before joining Hermione at her table with Rita Skeeter and Luna Lovegood, of all people. What followed was very strange. Skeeter was going to write an article about what happened to Harry last June, then Luna's father was going to print it in his magazine, the Quibbler. It was hard giving the details of what happened, but Harry could see its benefit.

Finally, it was over. At least he thought it was. "There you are!" A red-faced Cho pushed him back into his seat at the table. "I've been looking everywhere for you! How could you stand me up?"

Harry gulped. "Would you like to talk in private?" He threw a look at Rita Skeeter, who had her quill to paper, looking manic in her interest. Hermione and Luna were also looking interested, as well as several people from surrounding tables.

"Why, so you can ditch me again? I want to know, right now, what your problem is!"

"Cho, I never asked you out. I tried to find you, but I couldn't. I'm really sorry, but I think there's been a mix up." He said this all quickly. Cho blinked.

"But you're my boyfriend!" She wailed loudly.

Harry shook his head, eyes wide. "No, I'm not!"

"But we kissed! I don't do that with just anyone, you know!"

"Look, I'm sorry but I don't have feelings for you. There's nothing between us."

Cho was in tears now, and Harry blinked, sorry he was the source of that. "Why? I thought we really had something?"

Harry shook his head, and Cho drew herself up. "Fine. Not that I want you anyway. You're an awful kisser!" With that, she stormed out. Harry turned to face the other members of the table, hoping to find a sympathetic face. He didn't.

"I thought you were dating!" Hermione exclaimed, though quietly.

"No. Why would you think that?" Hermione bit her lip.

"No reason, just rumors, I guess. She's been after you since she broke up with Cedric."

"She has?"

"I heard she left him for you," Luna inserted, and he stared at her horrified. Poor Cedric.

"I'm sure that's not true, Harry. I heard they were having trouble long before they broke up."

Harry sighed. "Well, there's nothing I can do about it now." Madam Rosmerta walked up with his lunch order and he made his leave, barely noticing the calculating look on Hermione's face. It had taken a bit longer than he had anticipated and he made quick work of Honeydukes, running most of the way back.

Draco, however, hadn't moved from the spot Harry had left him in, with a satisfied smile on his face. "Oh, you're back already?" He drawled.

Harry told him about the meeting while he fed Draco chocolate covered strawberries, Draco's arms useless and muddy by his sides. He wasn't ready to get out of the mud yet. Draco seemed to think the interview was a good idea. Harry still wasn't sure.

They chatted quietly for a bit, Harry laying on the ground behind the pit so their heads were next to each other. Every so often he would lean down to kiss exposed, non-mud-covered skin. Finally, Draco was ready to get out. He even looked attractive with mud covering him. He rinsed off in the shower, playing with the different nozzles for longer than necessary, while Harry undressed and got in the pool.

The jacuzzi setting was on, bubbles rising rapidly, as he leaned his head back. He had to admit, this was incredibly relaxing. He was startled as Draco slid in next to him. "I figured you wouldn't mind if I joined you." He said, wishing the bubbles weren't so intense, so he could see Draco. Of course, his glasses were too fogged up to be useful anyway.

Draco smiled and leaned his head against Harry's shoulder, their bare sides were touching, and it sent shivers up his spine and down his legs. "I prefer it. Harry, this is amazing. I can't believe you went to all this trouble."

"It's never trouble when it's for you." Draco kissed him, but Harry pulled back.

"None of that, we're trying to relax." Draco hummed and settled back next to him, taking his hand instead.

They sat there quietly, just enjoying being together. They hadn't spent a full day together in such a long time. He had to leave, but he figured it still counted. Draco became hungry and they decided to have lunch. It was awkward trying to eat fish and chips in the jacuzzi, but Draco didn't want to get out until he was wrinkly.

That time came, and they dried each other off with white fluffy towels. Harry instructed Draco to lie down on the massage table and heated several smooth rocks he had found by the lake with his wand. Draco jumped when he applied the first one to his back but relaxed immediately. While the rocks were cooling, he started his massage with Draco's feet with some massage oil he had purchased for that day.

He had debated what he was about to do, unsure if Draco would like it or if he would think it was gross, but he took a chance. He brought Draco's foot up to his lips and kissed the sole. Draco gasped and twitched but didn't say to stop, and Harry did the other one too.

He put them both down and started working on his calves, then the back of his thighs. He removed the rocks and did his back too, spending a lot of time there. He moved on to his arms, and asked Draco to turn over.

"How are you doing, baby?" He asked as Draco's face was revealed to him. Draco looked drunk he was so relaxed.

"So good, Harry." Draco breathed. Harry kissed him upside down, stroking the sides of his face. Draco sighed happily when they pulled apart, and Harry started rubbing his pectoral area. He got to the rest of his chest, and paid some attention to his nipples, teasing him slightly. He watched as the towel rose with Draco's interest. Just then, he went down to Draco's abs. Draco moaned and Harry chuckled. He skipped the part the towel was covering and went the rest of the way down his body.

Draco sighed when he thought Harry was done.

He wasn't.

He lifted up the towel and ran his hands gently on his hips then dug into them. Draco twitched, and lifted up on his elbows to watch. "I love you so much Draco. I want to show you how much." Harry said, and Draco nodded with hooded lids.

Finally, he ran his fingers over Draco, who swelled in interest. Draco spread his legs when Harry indicated with his hands what he wanted and started playing with Draco's balls as well. When Draco was fully hard, Harry popped the head in his mouth, swirling his tongue around it. After a minute he took more and more into his mouth, experimenting with how much he could take. He found the point his throat protested and stroked the rest with his other hand.

Draco's fingers buried themselves in his hair, hanging on for the ride. "Harry…please." He moaned. Harry wasn't sure what he was begging for, but he sped up in case that was it. Draco's much louder moan answered his question. The angle from the side wore out his jaw, so he climbed up on the table, sitting between Draco's legs and taking him in that way.

He was completely out of breath and wanted this to last a bit longer, and he was sure Draco would appreciate his efforts.

Draco was panting now, demanding, "Suck my cock, yeah, you like that don't you, Potter?" and something about his ranting made Harry very hot. "I'm getting close, Sweetheart," he warned. "Please, please make me come. Make me come, Potter." Harry sped up, slamming his face down to Draco's crotch. With one hand, he stopped ball fondling and reached up for a nipple, meeting Draco's eyes. As he twisted the nub in his fingers, Draco let out a howl, and threw his head back as he did indeed come.

Harry was better prepared for the shots of come this time and swallowed every drop. It wasn't the best thing he had ever tasted, but it was better than had been described.

Draco let out a puff of air and laid back down on the table. Harry covered him with the towel again and climbed down. Draco gave him a satisfied smile and took his hand. "Come on," he said, and pulled Harry over to the shower. He started it and dropped his towel before stepping up to Harry. He smiled in a predatory way, pulling Harry's shirt off. Then he was stepping out of his trousers and Draco was pulling him into the spray.

The moment they were under it, Draco grabbed his face and kissed him. His tongue was in his mouth and it tasted so much of Draco, so wonderful. He pushed Harry against the far wall and adjusted the water so it hit him lightly. Then, he was on his knees and positively devouring Harry. Harry let out a very undignified noise at being taken so quickly. He spread his legs to give Draco more room and buried his fingers in Draco's blond locks.

Draco looked up at him through water droplets on his eyelashes, and Harry fell a little more in love with him. He looked so beautiful, on his knees, pale face flushed, eyes wide and wild, pink lips stretched around Harry's thickness, little droplets of water clinging to his eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair. He reached under Harry and gripped his hanging balls. Harry let out yet another low moan.

He felt a desire rise up in him, one to talk, just as Draco had. It was embarrassing for a moment, and Harry felt the ball of anxiety that had undeniably shrunk over the year, expand. His head hit the wall as he leaned back, trying not to let it over come him. This was such a perfect moment, so beautiful, and Draco loved him. Loved him a lot. The ball shrunk again as Harry beat it into submission.

He had flagged, just a little, but enough that Draco noticed. There was a small popping sound as his cock came out of his mouth. "Are you ok?" Draco asked, and he must have realized Harry was having a moment.

A wave of shame came over him. He was ruining this, and he didn't want that. "Yes." He said, "Suck my cock, Draco." Draco's eyes widened before he did just that, moaning around Harry's cock. Harry moaned in return, and once he had started, he couldn't stop talking. "You're so good at this, baby," he told him. "I love how you suck on my cock," came out of his mouth at some point. He was a bit lost, a stream of consciousness being ejected from his mouth. Draco was showing signs of loving it. He was moaning nonstop, and the vibrations were divine.

"I'm gonna come down your pretty little throat, babe. Are you ready for it? You're going to be a good boy and swallow every drop, aren't you?" and he was yelling, he wasn't sure what, but he was yelling loudly. He hit his head as he threw it back again, and next thing he knew, he was sitting with his legs spread, Draco sitting between them as he held his head, panting heavily.

If the moment with Draco's warm mouth around him was beautiful, the next one was even more so. Their eyes met as Draco wrapped his arms around Harry and they held each other under the warm stream of water. Harry moved Draco's bangs out of the way to kiss his forehead, his nose, his talented mouth.

After a moment, Draco turned and settled his back against Harry's front, leaning his head against his shoulder.

"You really are amazing, Harry." Draco said quietly. Harry tightened his hold.

"You are too, Malfoy."

Draco laughed. "Yeah, I think we both got a little carried away, but I really liked it."

"I did too."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Draco asked, referring to Harry's mild moment of panic.

Harry sighed. "We don't need to, unless you want to know. I just started wondering if you'd like if I talked like that."

"I definitely did, sweetheart. I like whatever you do. Don't be afraid to try things with me, ok? Even that foot thing was, well it felt really good. I still think it's a little gross, it's a foot, after all. That was why you waited until it was clean though right?"

Harry nodded and kissed his neck. "Yes. Babe? Does…the waiting…ever bother you? I know it's not normal to take things so slow. I mean, we've been together for two years, most couples would be way past this point in way less time."

Draco turned to look at Harry. "Harry. What we just did, was brilliant. I love what we do together, every time, and I treasure it. It doesn't matter if we haven't had sex yet, we have the rest of our lives to get to that point. I think, really, we're making love already, and this is perfect for us. I love you, Harry, and I want to take our time, too."

Harry couldn't believe how relieved he was to hear him say all that. He kissed Draco softly with everything he couldn't put into words. "I think I might want to wait. For that. I don't know for sure when I'll be ready."

Draco smiled, "I won't be ready until you are."

They were quiet for a while, Draco running his hands up and down the arms that were around him. "How did you get this one?" Draco asked after a while. Harry looked down at the scar Draco was stroking. It was one of the bigger ones, but only noticeable if you looked closely. On his left arm, just under his elbow was a triangle of discoloration a couple shades lighter than Harry's skin tone.

"Ah. Dudley pushed me off a curb into the street. I caught my elbow on the concrete." Draco took in a deep breath of air and let it out slowly. He raised the arm up to his face and kissed the scar reverently. At Harry's attempt to reach his mouth, he turned until their lips could touch. They stayed under the spray for a long while, until their skin got wrinkly and muscles grew sore. They got dressed and meandered towards the door.

"What do you want to do now," Harry asked. He wanted to stay with Draco, but his plans had all been played out.

"Do you want to dance?" Draco asked, holding out his hand. Harry took it and they danced in the center of the room, music changing to a slow soft melody.

When they finally left the room, it was with melancholy. It had been a wonderful day, because they had spent it together, but he wished it could have gone on.

* * *

Harry was upset that Gryffindor lost the match to Hufflepuff, even though Ginny caught the snitch. It set the tone for the next several weeks as Harry's ecstasy after Valentine's Day faded, though it fueled him memorably. His mood picked up when his article came out and had a whole slew of effects. Umbridge was furious and banned him from any future Hogsmeade visit, Harry was secretly pleased for the excuse. She also made it an expellable offense to have the Quibbler in possession, which ensured the whole school read it. Students were treating him like a person again, no one made fun of him. They were congratulating and praising him, which Harry didn't love, but figured was preferable to being a pariah. The teachers all found ways of showing their support for him. Draco was a little upset that his father had been mentioned, afraid of the ramifications. Harry made it up to him until he was feeling better.

Seamus had even come around, and he had joined the DA, as had several other students. At one fateful meeting, they began to work on Patronuses. Towards the end of the meeting, however, Dobby arrived to warn that Umbridge was coming. They scattered, and Harry ran.

"Harry!" a voice called, and Harry was relieved to see Draco, alone. "You have to hide! They found out about the DA and they're looking for you!"

"I can make it up to the common room," he began.

"No, they're coming from that direction, where's your cloak?" Harry was just getting it out, a step in front of Draco when a new voice called from down the corridor.

"Good job, Draco, you caught one!" Draco and Harry both stopped, knowing what this meant. Harry snuck his arm behind his back, the movement hidden by Draco's body, and Draco grabbed it. To anyone looking, it looked like Draco had been gripping Harry's arm the whole time. They both turned, to see Delores Umbridge.

Harry looked at Draco, who he could tell was trying to think of a way out of this situation. He was afraid Draco would sacrifice himself for Harry, which Harry didn't want. He could see the steel-eyed determination in Draco's eyes, and turned back to Umbridge.

"You'll never take me alive!" Harry yelled as he started struggling. Draco stared at him as he tightened his grip on reflex, probably wondering what the hell Harry was doing.

Umbridge appeared confused as well. Draco shook his head, deciding to ignore Harry. "I found him in the alcove, Professor. He wasn't anywhere near the room." Harry wasn't sure whether to punch him or kiss him. Neither was a good idea, so he did neither.

Umbridge smiled slowly and creepily. "That's alright, Draco. I have something better than catching them red-handed. Help me up to Dumbledore's office, please." Harry hated her stupid voice. And stupid her.

Harry and Draco traded looks when Umbridge wasn't looking. Draco stepped closer to him, so their bodies were hiding them holding hands. It was a big risk, and Harry appreciated it.

They got to Dumbledore's office, which was inhabited by the Minister, Shaklebolt, a wizard Harry didn't know, McGonagall, and Dumbledore himself. Draco was instructed to leave, and he squeezed Harry's hand before pushing him forward.

Harry gulped. This wasn't going to be good.

* * *

Dumbledore leaving was the worst thing to happen to Hogwarts since…Dumbledore had left, second year. The castle just seemed empty without him. Umbridge tried to question him with Veritaserium about Dumbledore's and Sirius's whereabouts, but Harry caught on and didn't drink it.

The Weasley twins of terror were living up to their name and causing as much chaos as possible. It had actually caused a problem with Harry being left alone after Occlumency with Snape and Harry ended up looking into Snape's pensive. He saw something he would never forget. His father, being a complete bastard to Snape.

It was hard to shake. He never wanted to see something like that. He needed to talk to Sirius about it, but the truth was he was afraid of confronting him about it. He didn't want that confirmed, didn't want to hear the excuses, didn't want that image he had of his father to go away.

"My parents didn't get along." Harry confided the next time he saw Draco. He told him the whole story with his head on Draco's shoulder.

Draco smiled. "So what if they didn't get along? We fight all the time. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't come after me and demanded to be my friend all those years ago? We could have been enemies throughout all our years of school. Maybe we would have been like them and gotten together later. I'm personally glad for how we turned out, and I'm sure they were too. What's really bothering you?"

"I never thought my parents were perfect." He told Draco, after a moment. "The Dursleys told me they were drunks, so when I was younger, it was a fantasy that they were even good people. When I found out they lied, it was like a dream come true. Everything I heard about them just painted this picture of wonderful people, but I couldn't help but wonder if people were just telling the poor orphaned boy what he wanted to hear. Now I know they were."

"Harry," Draco whispered, and pulled him close. Harry leaned his head on Draco's shoulder, and he was fighting back tears. "I've heard of them. Everyone has. And everyone says they were wonderful people. And maybe some of that is because they died. They became legends, and sometimes legends are exaggerated. I know the stories I've heard about you were. But, Harry, I know you. You have no reason to be as wonderful as you are, no reason except your parents."

Draco held him, not saying a word, but rocking him gently, until curfew. He offered to stay longer, but Harry wiped his eyes and shook his head. He took Draco back to his common room, shared a gentle kiss, and returned to his bed.

It took until Easter Holidays to talk to Sirius over the mirror about his father, and Remus was there too. He felt a little better, but it still weighed heavily on his heart. He wished more than anything he could talk to them himself, but that was a dream he would have to let go of.

His mood was pretty low these days. Umbridge had systematically taken away almost everything he loved about Hogwarts, and he was thinking about leaving just as Fred and George had. He probably wouldn't leave with a bang as they had, but it was something he fantasized about more frequently as the weeks leading up to exams came closer.

He and Draco were spending most of their time together studying. Draco was a great study partner. He made games out of revision and Harry actually had fun. It seemed that whatever they did, as long as they were together, it was a good day.

Hagrid had finally told them why he kept getting injured. At the final quidditch match, he grabbed Hermione and Harry and introduced them to Grawp, his giant half-brother. They ended up missing the end of the game, which Gryffindor won. They didn't have the heart to tell Ron while he was so busy celebrating.

The joy of winning the quidditch cup lasted until exams started, before Harry or any of the other fifth years were ready. Harry thought he did reasonably well, all things considered. Draco's nerves had broken, so Harry spent more time than he usually did with him, trying to calm him down. Sometimes that involved quizzing him, just sitting together quietly, a couple times he gave him a massage (he was getting pretty good at them), and once or twice, he resorted to blowjobs. Whatever he did, Draco always left their room more relaxed than he entered.

* * *

Hermione looked up from her notes at the sound of Ron and Harry's laughter. She scowled at them, but inwardly, she was slightly amused, and impressed that they could have so much fun while she couldn't be more stressed. She felt her anxiety lessen some as she watched them fondly.

Ron was sitting next to her on the couch near the fire and Harry had pulled a chair opposite him, so they could lean over the coffee table to play chess. She had never really understood how they could play so many times, especially when it was the same basic story, time and time again. They would play, Harry would do his best, but Ron would win. How many times could they do that before it got boring? She suspected that Harry didn't like it as much as his time spent playing would suggest. It was the one thing that Ron was really, really brilliant at, and she assumed that Harry kept playing so Ron would have someone to play with. His self-confidence was lacking, and every game raised it just a little bit.

She really admired how Harry would do anything for them. He was such a good friend. He was the only one now a days who would quiz her, she knew she was going a little crazy with the revision and had isolated herself in result. He was even decent to Malfoy, his sworn enemy, when the time called for it. He had defended Malfoy twice when he was in danger, once during the hippogriff incident, and once during the ferret incident. Malfoy didn't deserve it, really, but Harry was such a good person he couldn't help saving him. It was a true testament to his character like nothing else proved.

She didn't have much time for anything else but studying if she wanted to do well on the O.W.L.s. It felt like her entire life had led up to this moment, and everything that followed would ride on how well she did. She had to do well, there was no other option.

Hermione went back to her notes, thoughts of failure pushing her, as they always did. She shook her head to clear it, hoping to hear her notes, not her voice taunting her she would fail everything. She might freeze and forget everything, maybe she would miss her alarm and be late, maybe she would wake up in her bed at home, this whole experience of Hogwarts a dream. Those were the thoughts that kept her up at night, that pushed her forward, that made up what she was.

She was a muggleborn. By definition, she wasn't born into this magical world, she had to earn her place if she ever wanted one. Her father always said to put one-hundred percent of yourself into everything you do, and she strived to do that. There were people that said she didn't belong here, thought that she should go back to where she belonged. She would prove to all those nay-sayers that she did belong here, by learning everything there was to learn, and proving she was the best.

Even her best friends didn't understand her, but they did accept her. She would never be able to pay them back for that simple acceptance of her craziness four years ago.

She had truly found a home here, in a way that the muggle world never had fit

That was why her project, that she had put on the back-burner until exams were over, bothered her so much.

Her best friend, Harry, was keeping something from her. At first, she thought it was something small that would simply come out soon, but it had been years. She thought maybe there was more than one thing, but something told her everything was connected. Hermione had several clues, but they added more mystery than really helped solve them.

There was a mysterious pen-pal. Harry had told her and Ron about him or her after they had asked him repeatedly who he was with. He did receive letters from someone, but they had come less and less often over the years. She wondered if he was using this person as an excuse for whatever he was doing that day. She suspected that he hadn't been hanging out with anyone but had rather been doing something she wouldn't approve of, and that was why he had gotten so tight-lipped. Instead of saying nothing, he had thrown her a red-herring.

She did know that he had made several new friends over the years, and at one point she dismissed the red-herring theory and thought maybe he was hanging out with someone they didn't approve of, like a Slytherin. That was simply ridiculous, however, so she dismissed that as well. Harry was just as prejudiced against Slytherins as any other red-blooded Gryffindor. He fought with Malfoy enough to prove that he would never be friends with any of them.

So, who would Harry be spending time with, if it wasn't a Slytherin, and why would he be afraid of Ron and Hermione finding out? The answer came to her just last year as she watched him not responding to female Veela. There were several reasons why he wasn't responding, but she thought the top contender was he was gay! It fit well enough, he could be meeting a boy he had a crush on and didn't want them to know about it. He could even have internalized homophobia, not ready to face this crush and what it meant to himself, much less talk to his friends about it. He was from the muggle world, and from what she knew of the Dursleys, they didn't sound very tolerant. That was the theory she had gone with for several months. She figured that as long as she knew, she didn't need to approach Harry, and instead made gay-positive comments so he would know he could come to her when and if he was ready.

The note Rita Skeeter had found and published made it seem like Harry did have someone special, was in a relationship and not just developing feelings for them. Hermione had been happy for him, he had all but confirmed that he was seeing a boy when he said he didn't have a girlfriend after that second article had been published.

Then, Sally-Anne Perks threw her for a loop. She had seen them talking in the corridor before the ball and hadn't thought anything of it at the time. When he showed up to the Yule Ball with her, however, she had thought, Oh. This is the person that he is seeing behind our backs. She wasn't sure why he didn't want them to know, then realized what had happened with Skeeter might be connected.

Harry was famous, as easy as that was to forget, and anything he did was gossip worthy. If he was struggling with his sexuality, or even just wanted to date someone, the whole school would talk about it. That would put a ton of pressure on any new relationship, and she knew Harry hated any type of attention anyway. So, she had smiled, relieved that she had finally solved the mystery, and waited for the confession that he was dating to come out.

It hadn't. She had watched him, wondering if he would look across the hall at his girlfriend, but he didn't. He never confided in her, or Ron to her knowledge, and it hurt a little bit. She had decided that the tournament was adding extra pressure to him, and she might confront him about her later.

That summer before fifth year had been crazy, however, and a good moment never seemed to happen. Harry had been pretty busy hanging out with Sirius, which Hermione completely understood. On the Hogwarts Express, he disappeared for some time, then was blasé about his excuse. She really didn't mind him seeing other friends, or his girlfriend, but she was getting tired of the excuses, half-truths, and/or flat out lies. She just wanted Harry to say that Sally-Anne Perks was his girlfriend, in a whisper, to them, or really, her.

Then, he had denied it. Hermione had watched his face as he said, "Sally isn't my girlfriend." She had reviewed the moment hundreds of times, obsessively she knew, and Harry wasn't lying. He had a lesser version of his face when his name had been called out of the Goblet of Fire. He was a little surprised and confused, not sure why it was even happening. Harry was good at a lot of things, but he couldn't lie to save his life, not that he usually did, Harry was a pretty honest person, which is another reason why this one big lie bothered her.

So, she was back to the drawing board, in a way. Harry had given her another clue. He was rather passionate about his defense of gay rights. More than once this year he had made comments about newspaper articles or gossip that made her think he might be gay, or possibly bi, or still confused. Maybe he had been dating a boy this entire time. Maybe they had broken up, or were friends but Harry wanted more.

It was all so confusing, and it gave Hermione headaches. She wasn't proud of this, but she had said that Ginny might have a chance with Harry if she moved on, or pretended to, and a part of her did it to see how Harry would react to her. She felt horrible about it, and regretted it, but it was good advice. Ginny had started dating Michael Corner, and had instructed Hermione to inform Harry, then tell her how he reacted. Harry couldn't have cared less, but she didn't tell that to Ginny.

Cho had thrown her for a loop too. Harry didn't seem that interested in her as a person, but she saw them talking together more than was necessary for just friends, and at odd times. Cho would flirt very obviously, but Harry never picked up on it. It was a surprise when she heard in the girl's loo that they were dating. She was very confused, but it cleared up when she witnessed their row on Valentine's Day. Cho had just thought they were together, the poor girl. Harry was pants at flirting, maybe he was just as bad at relationships and that was another reason he hadn't confided in her.

After Christmas, Harry had started wearing a dragon necklace. It was low on his chest, and usually covered by his shirts, but Hermione could see the same black cord around his neck, and she had seen the actual pendant when it had fallen out of his shirt. She had asked, and he said it was a Christmas gift. No more details, and he had avoided her eyes; even if he was leaning over homework at the time, it had sparked her interest. Was this a gift from the mysterious person, and was it another clue?

Dragons. There was two times Harry had been around dragons, in first year when Malfoy had caught them trying to move Hagrid's dragon Norbert to Charlie's friends, and in fourth year, when Charlie had brought a Horntail to Hogwarts for Harry's first task. When she had realized Charlie was involved both times, she had paused. Charlie was gay. They had known this since first year, so maybe he was the person Harry had been writing too. She hoped they weren't dating, he was a bit too old for him at fifteen, but maybe when Harry was older. She had thought that was the perfect reason for not wanting to tell them.

If he told her he had a crush, or (she shivered) a relationship, she might tell Ron, and that could lead to a disaster. The Weasleys were all Harry had as a family, dating a member could get complicated fast. Everything fit, except for the Hogwarts owl that had been used to deliver that first letter, but she could dismiss that as someone else, one of Harry's friends and unconnected to the incident. Finally, she had an answer, not a good one, but an answer.

She truly hoped Harry and Charlie were just friends, but that wouldn't explain Harry's disappearances, or the owl. She had tried getting the map to see where he went, but he took it with him whenever he disappeared. She realized that was wrong too.

Then she realized another connection. Cedric had battled dragons too, and they had become closer after fighting in the tournament last year. Cedric would walk Harry to class sometimes, and he would hang around after DA meetings. She felt it was reasonable to say that Cedric at least had feelings for Harry. She watched them closely, but if they were secret boyfriends, they were very good at hiding it.

She had, in a way, given up. There was a part of her that wondered if there even was a secret, maybe Harry just liked being alone and that was why he disappeared so much. It would make sense that he didn't want to hurt their feelings, but something told Hermione that wasn't it. There were just too many possibilities, and she was strung out from several years of questions. She had somewhat accepted that she couldn't know just now. She and Ron had fought with him enough that she knew she couldn't just ask him.

Hermione had her theories, and they would have to do until Harry decided he could talk to her. She had realized something rather important through this particular experience. She had no control over what Harry would do. She liked to be in control of what she was doing, and she felt uncomfortable when she wasn't. That didn't mean she could control Harry and what he did. She very well could lose him if she pushed too much, and that is the absolute last thing she wanted, even at the expense of not knowing.

She looked up again at the sound of more laughter. "You should not have made that move." Ron told Harry with a grin. He made his own move and Harry groaned theatrically. Hermione smiled. Harry was not that great of an actor; she knew he was pretending to be upset, but Ron probably didn't.

Yes, Harry was definitely worth it.

* * *

The O.W.L.s were awful. Harry didn't even want to think about them. The one he had probably done worst on so far was Astronomy, but then everyone was not going to do well. Umbridge and a legion had gone out and tried to remove Hagrid during the exam. McGonagall had run out to stop them and been attacked as well. Hagrid had taken Fang and run out into the night.

Just like that, Harry thought the year couldn't get any worse. Then, his History of Magic final happened. He fell asleep halfway through and had a vision from Voldemort. He had had several over the year, but this was easily the most traumatic. He fell out of his chair, screaming, seeing Sirius behind his eyelids. Hundreds of eyes turned to stare at him, but he didn't care, all he cared about was getting to Sirius.

He stopped in the middle of the hall, thinking. The quickest way to the Ministry would be the floo, but he didn't have any powder, and he wasn't sure which fireplaces were even hooked up to the floor network. He wouldn't put it past Umbridge to disconnect all of them except for her office.

Umbridge's office! She had a fireplace and plenty of floor powder, he set off right away, running. He had to get to the ministry, and he started retracing the route he would have to take through his dream. He would go from the fireplaces in the main atrium, take the lifts down to the last level, and make his way to…the Department of Mysteries.

He slowed to a stop. Sirius had warned him that Voldemort would try to lure him to the Ministry. It had been super important that he not tell anyone, so it had to be something crucial. He thought back to his visions over the past year. There was a weapon in the Department of Mysteries that several Death Eaters had tried to get but failed. He had been guarded, he was being lured to the Department by Voldemort, he was the only one, for whatever reason, that could remove this weapon and give it to Voldemort.

The startling realization got him back into motion. This situation was very suspicious. He turned and started running instead to his dorm room. His thought was that Voldemort was currently trying to make him go to the Ministry and get whatever this weapon was for him. Whatever it was, Voldemort could not get his hands on it. Even so, he would risk that for Sirius, but he wasn't so sure that Sirius was even in danger.

He made it to his empty dorm room and threw himself on the ground in front of his trunk. He tossed it open and was pulling out the two-way mirror he used to communicate with Sirius.

"Sirius!" He yelled into the mirror and waited. Seconds passed, and no answer. He closed his eyes, panting and praying. "Sirius!" He yelled again. Still, there was no answer.

Damn.

He sat there with his eyes screwed shut, breathing quickly, trying to think. He needed to get to the ministry.

He turned and dug into his trunk, looking for the knife Sirius had given him for Christmas. He would need it for breaking into Umbridge's office. He knew he was walking into a battle he might not win. At that thought, he paused, thinking of Draco. He might never see Draco again.

Did he have time to write him a farewell letter? Draco would kill him either way if he died, but maybe a letter would help soothe his hurt. He shook his head. He had no time, he had already wasted enough checking to see if he was right about it being a trap. He was obviously wrong, and Sirius was being tortured, right now.

He grabbed the portkey he was working on and placed the homing device in the center of his bed. Hopefully, no one would move it. His hesitant plan was to get in, grab Sirius, and activate the portkey, bringing both him and his godfather back. It was similar to what had happened last year with him, Pettigrew and the Cup from the Triwizard Tournament. With any luck, Voldemort wouldn't kill him the moment he walked into the room.

He was just standing when he heard something that made him sink back to the floor, a sob of relief escaping his throat.

"Harry?" Sirius asked from the mirror he was still holding. His face was uninjured, even healthier than the last time he had seen him, confusion the only thing marking his face. "Sorry, I couldn't answer right away, Buckbeak was somehow injured and I was healing him. What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost. Well, that's not uncommon at Hogwarts, but you know what I mean."

Harry laughed in relief, feeling tears stinging his eyes. "Sirius, you're ok? You're safe?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sirius seemed surprised to even need to confirm this. "I'm at you-know-where right now, I come by a couple times a week to make sure Kreature hasn't suffocated up my mum's bum. You haven't told me what's wrong, Harry, you look terrible. Did you have a fight with Draco?"

"No," Harry said, taking deep calming breaths. "Sirius, something just happened. I was taking my History of Magic O.W.L., and I fell asleep."

Sirius snorted. "You know, I'm pretty sure I did too."

"I'm not done. I fell asleep, and I had a vision. It started out with me having the same dream I have every night for a year, going into the Department of Mysteries, only this time I got to this room with spheres on shelves. There were so many, and at the end of row 96, I saw Voldemort torturing you! I was almost going to floo there, but then I remembered what you said about Voldemort trying to trick me into going there, and I figured I should at least check and make sure you didn't answer. I'm so glad you're ok!"

Sirius now looked very serious. "Wow. That was very smart of you to check, Harry, who knows what would have happened if you hadn't. We still have to deal with this, however. I need to call an Order meeting as soon as possible. We will handle this. If he wanted you to go, there are probably at least Death Eaters there, maybe we can get them arrested. All I want you to do is celebrate finishing your O.W.L.s with your friends. Do not leave the castle under any circumstances. I don't care who you see Voldemort torturing, what you see, whether it's a dream or a vision. I will call you on the mirror when I know more, so keep it on you. I've got to go, I love you, Harry."

With that, he was gone. Harry collapsed back against the floor, a huge shuttering sigh escaping him. Sirius was safe. That was the important thing. Whatever Voldemort's plan had been, it would not come to fruition, now. He had taken on Voldemort, again, and won.

His face slowly broke into a smile. Finally, something had gone right. His life had been one disaster after the next, usually a confrontation with Voldemort or his followers happened at the end of the year, but not this year, this year, he had escaped from even having to do that. He wondered if Voldemort could feel his triumph, because he was certainly feeling it very strongly.

His bracelet heated slightly, notifying him that Draco had sent him a message. Are you Ok? It said.

I'm fine, he wrote back. I had a vision of Sirius being tortured, but he's fine. I already checked on him.

You had a vision? I can't believe that! Do you want to meet?

"There you are!" Hermione cried as the door opened with a bang. "Harry, what's wrong? Why are you laying on the ground?"

Harry laughed, bringing up a hand to cover his face before slowly sitting up. Ron and Neville were standing behind Hermione, they each had a look of fear upon their faces.

"It was a false alarm, you can calm down." He took a seat on his bed and gestured to Ron's across from him. All three took a seat, and Harry began his tale. "I fell asleep during the test, and I had another vision. Of Sirius being tortured by Voldemort in the Ministry." They gasped, Harry hastened on. "I called him on the mirror to check on him, he's fine. Voldemort sent me a false vision, trying to get me to go. Sirius said he'd take care of it." They all stared at him stunned. Harry nodded.

"You-Know-Who sent you a fake vision? I didn't know he could do that." Ron said.

"I didn't know you had visions from You-Know-Who. Is that what happened before Christmas?" Neville asked.

"Why would Voldemort want you to go to the Ministry?" Hermione wondered aloud.

Harry shifted. He had promised Sirius he wouldn't tell anyone that there was a weapon in the Department of Mysteries and only Harry could get it. "Maybe he just wanted me out of the castle."

"That doesn't make much sense. The Ministry is one of the most inhabited buildings in the wizarding world. It would be packed at this time. If he wanted you out of the castle, he could have made you go anywhere. Why the Ministry, specifically?" Harry shrugged, it was the best he could do against Hermione's vast mind.

"I may be able to get visions from Voldemort's mind, Hermione, but that doesn't mean I can read his every thought." Hermione's eyes narrowed as she hummed thoughtfully. Harry looked away from her scorching vision. "Apparently, he can," he said to Ron. "Yes, I get them on occasion, but I'd appreciate you not telling anyone." He said to Neville, who nodded quickly.

"Is Sirius going to do anything about Voldemort? Does he have a way to get in contact with Dumbledore?" Hermione asked.

"He's calling a meeting, he said he had to go before he could tell me more about it." His eyes flickered to Neville, he couldn't talk about the Order in front of him. "How was the exam?"

Hermione launched immediately into a detailed break down of the test. Ron and Neville quickly lost interest, looking off into the distance, as Harry tuned her out. Now he thought about it, if Sirius went with the rest of the Order, and he was sure he would, he had reason to be worried about him. Would there be a fight at the Ministry?

Trying to make it look like he was just playing with his fingers, he wrote back on the bracelet, after dinner? He got a response a minute later. Can't wait.

* * *

**A/N: And that's it for fifth year... Just kidding, 1 more chapter, then sixth year. **

**I apologize for the updates being slow, there were a couple reasons but the main one was there was something really weird going on with the site and no matter how many times I tried, all that would save was a series of numbers and letters. I'm crossing my fingers that it won't happen when I upload. **


	10. Year 5 Part IV

For the rest of the night, Harry was worried. There was a party in the common room that started as soon as the rest of the fifth years got back that breached for dinner before resuming after. Harry didn't make it, as he had a date with Draco.

As soon as he entered the room, Draco was picking him up and spinning him around. Harry laughed at the rush. "We're done with exams!" Draco exclaimed, and kissed Harry.

Harry wrapped his legs around Draco's waist, hoping he wasn't too heavy. Draco's arms snaked around his back, keeping him there against his chest. He really needed a Draco hug after his day. All he wanted to do was sit with Draco for the rest of the night.

Harry told Draco as much as he could about the vision and his and Sirius's conversation. He felt even worse about not being able to tell Draco about Voldemort wanting him to get the weapon from the Ministry. He had a feeling Draco knew he was hiding something, but Harry was thankful he didn't ask.

Draco wanted to go over the exams, question by question, like Hermione. Unlike with Hermione, he could listen to Draco talk all day, so he didn't mind nearly as much. As Draco was talking about the question about the war in 1723, his pocket started talking. "Harry?" He quickly pulled out his mirror to see Sirius's face.

"Sirius! What's happening? Draco's here."

Sirius's eyes moved over to look at Draco and Harry positioned the mirror, so he could see both of them. "Hey, Draco. I wanted to give you a quick update, but I'm afraid I have some bad news." Harry and Draco exchanged a worried look. "I assembled a group of people to go to the Ministry with me, got in touch with Dumbledore, and we headed over there. Voldemort had caused some sort of distraction, so the place was deserted. There was a group of Death Eaters, including all those who escaped from Azkaban, waiting and there was a fight. Moody didn't make it. He was hit by a cutting curse and bled out. He was the only casualty." There was a moment of silence as they all digested that.

Harry couldn't believe it. Moody was a hardened Auror, he had already survived one war, so many attacks, he would've thought Moody would be fine. He closed his eyes and bowed his head. It was his fault. This wouldn't have happened if Harry had just kept his mouth shut. Draco pulled him into a hug, almost as if he could hear what Harry was thinking. Harry probably just had a look on his face like he needed a hug.

"Dumbledore came too and rounded up the Death Eaters that hadn't been captured. That's when the Minister and half the Ministry turned up." Harry's head snapped up, looking at Sirius. "They arrested the Death Eaters on trespassing charges, we were lucky to get out of it myself, but luckily we had a couple Aurors on our side, which helped fudge the details. Draco," Sirius focused on him and a look of sympathy came across his features. "Your father was with the group. He was arrested as well. I'm sorry."

Harry quickly turned to Draco, who looked shocked. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Harry pulled his head in to rest on his shoulder. Draco let him and hid his face. "Anything else happen, Sirius?" Sirius shook his head.

"I want to remind you Harry, that Voldemort may still try to lure you there, and you can't go under any circumstances. Tell me immediately if he tries to pull something again. I'm going to be keeping my mirror on me at all times from now on. I actually caught Kreature trying to destroy it earlier today, can you believe that little bugger? He's been acting so strange, too. He burst into tears when he saw me earlier. Well, we're having a full meeting now, so I've got to go, but we'll talk soon, Harry. Draco, I'm sorry, again about your father. It can't be easy hearing that. I'll see you both at the end of term."

Harry placed the mirror face down and kissed the top of Draco's head. "I'm sorry, Baby." He said into Draco's hair.

"What did Sirius mean about Voldemort trying to lure you to the Ministry?" Draco's voice was muffled. Harry startled, he had missed that Sirius had said that in front of Draco. Maybe it was no longer important that he not tell anyone, since it had already happened?

"Sirius warned me that Voldemort might try to trick me into going to the Ministry."

"Why?"

"I don't have all the details, and he told me not to tell anyone, but—"

"It's ok, you don't have to tell me."

"Really? Are you sure?" Harry asked.

"I don't need to know if you were told not to tell anyone. I trust you, Sweetheart."

Harry squeezed his arms around Draco, more touched than he could ever say at Draco's simple declaration. "I'm sorry about your Father, Babe."

Draco breathed before he spoke. "I'm not." Harry tried to look at Draco's face, so he sat up until he could look at Harry. "Don't you realize what this means? My father is in prison. He might have to stay there. I'm free! I can go home this summer! If my Father isn't there, there's no one to force me to join the Death Eaters or hurt me. I don't care in the least that he's arrested, this is good news!"

Harry thought about it, and it did seem like a good thing. "What about your Mother?" She seemed nice enough, according to what Draco had told him about her, but she seemed colder and more aloof than involved in any way.

Draco frowned. "She wants me to be a good Pureblood just as much as Father, but I don't think she's convinced that I'd have to be a Death Eater to do that. I know she wouldn't protect me from Father, but I don't think she'd force me to join or even be a sympathizer without him around. Harry, this is what I've been dreaming of!" He hugged Harry forcefully. Harry wasn't entirely convinced that Draco would be safe, however.

"What if your father's friends come around? What if Voldemort comes for you? I still don't know if you should go home, Draco."

"Why would Voldemort come for me? I'm nobody to him. And with Father in prison all the responsibilities of the head of the house of Malfoy fall to me. I need to be in the manor, taking care of things. Harry, this is important. I was afraid of my Father, but my Father is out of the picture. Hopefully until I graduate. This summer, I'll get everything into place for me to run away when he gets out. This is the break I've been praying for, everything will work out now, just wait, you'll see."

Harry took a deep breath. "Draco, I still have a bad feeling about this, but I understand that you feel you need to do this. I don't fully understand why, but I can see that you do. I just want you to do one thing for me, ok?" Draco raised his eyebrow as Harry leaned over and grabbed his bag. He had brought it specifically to give his present to Draco.

"I want you to take this and use it if you feel unsafe. Happy early birthday." He handed the wrapped package to Draco, who tore into it eagerly.

He pulled out the enchanted necklace with a Celtic knot and small jewels from its box. "It's beautiful." He commented as he put it over his head.

"It's a homing portkey. I made it. It's designed to transport you when you give the keyword and it'll take you to wherever I am. I put the homing signal into my necklace, so if you're ever in trouble, whether it be this summer or ten years from now, you can always come to me. Literally. I put all sorts of enchantments on it to repel rituals and enchantments that would bring harm to you. It has the same charm as our bracelets, so no one can see it, and has a minor shield charm so minor hexes won't harm you. If anyone does happen to feel it, they won't be able to forcibly take it from you. I tested it out a bunch of times, so I know it's safe. Promise me you'll use it if you feel like you need to?" Draco looked at him with an odd expression.

He was looking at Harry like he was the most precious gem he had ever seen, like he couldn't believe he had been honored enough to actually see him. He kissed Harry gently, reverently, his hands on either side of Harry's face. When he pulled back, he looked at Harry's eyes and shook his head slightly.

"I love you. And I promise I will use it if I'm in danger. Thank you, Harry, I've never felt so safe in my life." Harry kissed the side of his head as Draco looked down at the pendant. "What's the keyword?"

Harry whispered it in his ear. Draco raised an eyebrow. "A little conceited, don't you think?"

"You're one to talk." Draco laughed and kissed Harry again. They tumbled to the ground, still kissing.

"I am not conceited," Draco whispered as he unbuttoned Harry's shirt. They moved to their knees, upright and pressed together.

"You absolutely are," Harry murmured back through his lips as he started working on Draco's shirt.

"Am not, you gorgeous man," Draco said between kisses as he scratched at Harry's bare shoulders.

"You are too, you conceited, beautiful man." Harry retorted as his lips moved along Draco's neck. Draco moaned as Harry found the spot that elicited that response. His nails scraped along Harry's spine, making him shiver deliciously. He went for Harry's belt as Harry pulled his shirt off.

"You are the big-head, Boy-Who-Lived." Draco panted as Harry worked his way down to Draco's nipple. He pulled one into his mouth as he pinched the other one. Draco loved having his nipples played with, they were extremely sensitive. He switched his mouth with his other hand before speaking.

"You are the haughtiest person I've ever met, you stunning, striking man." Harry had his belt undone and was tonguing his way further down Draco's torso. Draco shuddered in response.

"You are going to suck me, you handsome, egotistical man." Draco demanded as he was revealed. Harry licked his lips at the delicious sight before swallowing it quickly.

They lay there quietly panting what seemed like hours later as their breathing evened out. Harry's lifted leg came down and Draco started stroking Harry's stomach. After a minute, he got up only to plop himself down on Harry's chest. "I am really going to miss you over the summer."

"I am going to miss you as soon as I leave the room." Draco chuckled. "Are you sure I can't tempt you into staying with me and Sirius?" He was only partially joking, not just for the blowjobs either.

Draco sighed wistfully. "Not this summer, Sweetheart. I want to live with you as soon as we graduate, though."

Harry hummed happily. "Where would we live?" He asked as he pulled a blanket over them. It was getting cold and he was unwilling to lose skin contact with Draco. "At the Manor?"

Draco hummed as well. "I don't think so. It's so big, even for me, sometimes. I think I'd want to get a little flat. Not too little, at least two bedrooms, two baths, a nice big living room where we can cuddle on the couch. Maybe we could get one of those…tell-la-visions" he pronounced, "and get take out, and watch one of those movies on Friday nights, make out half way through, move it to the bedroom…" He spoke slower and slower, his voice taking on a purring quality as he leered at Harry, reaching up to kiss him.

Harry felt his heart start to beat faster, but it wasn't a panic attack. It was desire and excitement for the future. He had never felt this excited for something that hadn't happened yet. He pulled Draco's head closer to his as they kissed and pictured it, wanting that future more than he had ever wanted anything.

"That sounds so perfect," he whispered as they separated. "Could we get a dog?"

Draco made a non-committal sound. "How about a cat?"

Harry considered. "How about both?"

Draco snorted before he kissed Harry's jawline. "Haven't you heard they don't get along?"

"Haven't you heard we don't get along?" They both laughed happily, and Harry turned so he could hover over Draco. He moved his hand to cup Draco's face and kissed him slowly. Draco moved his leg, so it could rub along Harry's.

"Did I say anything that bothered you?" Draco asked, looking a little guilty. Harry was confused.

"When?" Draco raised his eyebrow. "Oh. No. That was actually incredibly hot. I enjoyed every minute."

Draco breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. I almost called you a slut, I got a little carried away."

Harry thought for a moment. "You can if you want, next time. After all… I am your slut." Harry watched as Draco's eyes darkened, he had whispered that last part huskily in his ear. He wasn't prepared when Draco lunged at him, throwing him on his back as he placed himself on top of Harry.

"You're my slut?" He asked as he started licking Harry's jawline. "You're all mine?"

A stream of heat worked its way up Harry's chest from his stomach. "I'm all yours, Baby. I'm your dirty little slut." He did feel some anxiety at saying that, but it was masked almost entirely by the burning desire it brought forth.

Again, their desires took them over, and they laid panting in each other's arms.

He was incredibly relaxed. "Holy hell, Draco." He said and laughed. Draco chuckled breathily too. "You have quite the mouth on you."

Draco hummed. "You have quite the mouth on you, my love." They both laughed again and kissed. Harry turned on his side, Draco turning to match him, and he stared into those beautiful silver eyes. There was happiness and love shining through them. Harry had never felt so connected to another person. He was sure, as sure as he could be, that they were as close as they could be if they had just had full-on sex. "I love you so much," Draco whispered to him, as if he was hearing Harry's mind.

"I love you, too, so much." Harry returned.

They stayed on the ground, kissing lightly and moving their hands slowly across each other's bodies, enjoying how intimate the moment was.

"If your Father is in prison, and can't do anything about it, does that mean we can make our announcement? That we're together?" Draco stared at him, considering, stroking Harry's hair.

"I think…we need to wait, and make sure he's not going to get out any time soon. As soon as he's convicted, we'll have our coming out party." Harry grinned and kissed him hard.

"You mean it?"

"Yes. I think we've waited long enough. Are you excited?" Harry climbed on top of Draco.

"Are you kidding? I've been waiting years for this! How do you think we should do it?" They spent the rest of their time together coming up with ideas for announcing their relationship. Some were short and sweet, some were outlandish, some ridiculous, but Harry realized he didn't care. Things were finally looking up.

"It's ok," Draco whispered into Harry's hair. He was shaking and hadn't been able to stop. It was several days later; the last feast of the year was happening without him and Draco. He took a deep breath trying to regulate his intake. Someone had to have noticed they were both missing at the same time. They were risking so much to be here, together. Harry didn't think he could leave Draco's arms if he tried.

He pulled Draco's arms tighter around him, gripping the fabric of his robes, needing his closeness.

* * *

"Do you want to talk about it?" Draco asked as Harry's breathing slowed. He didn't know what he would do without Draco. He had begged Draco to come to their room over their bracelets, and Draco had entered the room panting, out of breath from running the entire way there. He had pulled Harry into his arms without asking, and Harry had burst into tears. He held Harry, rocking him slowly, letting Harry cry all over his robes, without a single clue what was wrong. He hadn't demanded answers, hadn't even asked what was wrong. He just kissed the top of Harry's head and waited patiently.

Harry sniffled and shifted so they were sitting next to each other on the cushioned floor. He still had his head on Draco's shoulder, and both their hands were connected. "Something happened." He said, and memories of the previous night flooded his senses.

_Must, I must, get it. I have to get…it. I have to. Must get…it. There were voices, giving him instructions, telling him what he didn't know he had to do. It was confusing, yet freeing. His bed was comfy, but the cold stone was needed below his feet. The roar of the fire was crucial. He had to get into the fire. He had to move. It was vital that he go…somewhere. Ahead. The most important thing in the entire world, the whole universe was forward, and he had to get to it. He simply had to, or he'd die. There it was, and he had to pick it up, he had to give it to someone. That was demanded of him. He had to. Keep Going! Keep Going! It was important. Hand it over. Hand it over. Hand it over. HAND IT OVER! It was important. IT WAS IMPORTANT._

Harry shook his head to clear it. "Last night, I don't really remember everything. Dumbledore said there was a weak-will potion in my system."

Draco gasped. "That's an extremely dark potion! It weakens your strength of will until you are powerless to any random suggestion. Who gave it to you?"

"I don't know. I think I'm getting ahead of myself, I don't know how to start." Draco waited patiently. "According to Dumbledore, here's how it happened."

***** Last night**

Harry awoke, sort of. His eyes were open and seeing, he was sitting up in bed, taking in his surroundings. He was in his dorm, snores echoing off the walls around him. Get up, a voice whispered in his ear, echoing in his brain. You have to get up. Really, he was still dreaming, his conscious mind locked away.

He listened to the voice. There was absolutely no reason not to. The voice gave him instructions, leading him onwards. He went to the common room, then out into the corridors. The chill on his bare feet registered but didn't compute. It didn't matter. All that mattered was moving forward and getting the thing.

He came to a door, it was locked. He waved his hand and it unlocked. Simple, no need for him to stop, that was insane. The voice instructed him to go to the fireplace, throw floo powder into the grate, and say three words.

"Ministry of Magic," came out of his mouth, was that him? It didn't matter, he should get in the flames. He should move forward again. He was walking and the chill of the floor against his bare feet registered somewhere in his brain but didn't have any impact on him. It didn't matter.

The screeching of the grates didn't matter, all he had to do was stand still as it moved and move when it became still. His footsteps were loud in the silent corridor, but they didn't matter either. Nothing mattered but obtaining the object.

He moved forward at the voice's insistence. There were doors in the way, but they didn't matter. Not that one. Not that one. Not that one either. There, that one. That was what he needed. He moved forward again.

There were orbs around him. He shouldn't be here. This was wrong. No, it was important, he needed to be here, he needed what was here. It was important.

Pick it up, the voice said. It was there, right in front of him. He needed it, it was important. No, he couldn't, it was important that he didn't. No, it was important that he did. He couldn't pick it up. He should pick it up. He wouldn't, he would. He did. He picked it up.

Good, the voice finally praised. It was good. It was bad, but it was also good. Bring it to me, the voice said. Maybe he shouldn't. A small, new concept opened up in the very back of his mind. It wasn't fully formed, but he thought, why should I? It was defiance, and that wasn't good. It was important that he not defy the voice.

Why though? The new voice questioned. Why should he do everything this voice said? He was walking, but his feet were cold on the stone floor. He didn't want to have cold feet. He was tired, and he wanted to go back to sleep in his nice warm bed. His feet wouldn't be cold then, if he were in bed. Why wasn't he in bed? Why was he moving? He didn't want to move. Why should he be moving?

He was in a hallway, and he realized that. He was waking up, just a little. KEEP GOING! The voice demanded. Harry didn't like the voice. He didn't want to listen to it.

Vaguely, he realized he was in a large room. He didn't want to be there, even if it was important that he be there. There were more voices now, they were all around him, coming from figures. Dark figures, he didn't like them.

He was Harry. Harry was who he is. He was standing in the atrium of the Ministry for Magic. There were Death Eaters all around him in their dark cloaks, forming a loose circle, as if they were guarding something. There, ahead of him, was Voldemort, hand outstretched. "Hand it over, Potter." He was saying.

He still wasn't fully awake. His brain was at war. The voice wanted to hand it over, was demanding it. It was important. But he was also Harry, and Harry didn't want to give whatever this thing was over. It had to be important, if Voldemort wanted it. It was important that he not hand it over, just as important as it was that he did hand it over.

Voldemort had been smiling in a very evil way. Now, he was demanding to know what was wrong. "The potion must be wearing off my Lord, or he is fighting it."

"I'll deal with you later," Voldemort hissed. "You will hand it over, Potter, now!"

If anything, it helped him. He didn't do what Voldemort wanted, just because Voldemort wanted him to. He was Harry, not a play thing of Voldemort's. He followed what his heart and mind said, not what Voldemort said.

Voldemort was angry now. "Hand it over! Now!" Harry was backing away. He was fighting it. He had to, it was more important than anything.

"Don't you want to know what it says, Potter? Everything you have ever wanted to know, every question you've ever had is right there in your hand. All you have to do is listen, and you will know everything you've ever wanted to know."

That sounded good. He did want that, but not if Voldemort did. "No," his gravely voice said. It hadn't been used in a long time. He struggled over the word, as if not entirely sure what it meant, what it entailed.

"HAND IT OVER!" Voldemort yelled, both aloud and in his mind. He was the voice, the voice he didn't like, saying things he didn't want. It was important that Voldemort not get this orb, even more important than his own life. Voldemort wanted this badly, so badly. It was important to him, so it was just as important that he not get it, no matter what.

He looked at Voldemort, was he awake now, where was he? Voldemort was yelling, the Death Eaters were shouting at him, he had a massive headache, and his feet were cold. He just wanted to go back to bed. Whatever had happened to him, was ending, as was his life, he thought.

He raised his hand, holding it out to Voldemort and watched as Voldemort's face slowly transformed to twist into triumph, then fall into defeat.

He threw the orb as hard as he could to the ground. It burst into a million pieces at his cold feet, a ghostly figure rising from the shatters. She began speaking in a high-pitched, harsh voice, Voldemort was still screaming, there was so much noise, Voldemort raised his wand, and Harry fully awoke as a spell headed straight to him.

He ducked, and it flew over his head, hitting a Death Eater in the distance. Voldemort was still screaming, still throwing curses, they were heading straight to Harry, and he didn't have his wand. He dodged all of them, but that last one, whatever it was, headed at him, and there was no escape. He was going to die.

Something fell in front of him. It was white and heavy, and exploded on impact, small bits of stone hitting the hand Harry had raised to protect himself. He had no idea how he was still alive, it made absolutely no sense.

"Dumbledore!" Voldemort screeched, and there was mass chaos. Spells were flying everywhere, figures in scarlet robes were fighting the ones in black, one figure in bright blue robes was fighting Voldemort. It was Dumbledore! He was saved!

A spell went right over his head, and he ducked against the far wall for cover. Another statue from the fountain came to life and covered him. All across the atrium, the figures in black were escaping through the fires lining the walls, or falling, or being tied up. Many harsh minutes later, and a small circle of bodies had formed, outlining the fight between Voldemort and Dumbledore. It was the most intense battle he had ever seen. The colors of light exploded everywhere, things were being conjured and destroyed.

"Harry!" Came a shout to his right, and he turned to see Sirius, racing towards him. He stood from his hiding place, running towards him.

The moment slowed, as moments do when something awful happens.

Just as Harry was feet from Sirius, a jet of light headed towards him, and he was going to fall directly into its path. His momentum was still moving him forward, there was no escape. Then, he was being pushed backwards, and Sirius was falling on top of him, face lined with pain.

"No!" He was screaming. In the background, Voldemort had disappeared, and Dumbledore turned towards Harry, terror etched into every line of his face.

"Harry!" He tried to warn, but Harry was too concerned with Sirius, yelling for help. Remus was next to him in a second, face white, wand already casting spell after spell, when Harry's scar suddenly exploded in pain.

He was pain. There was nothing else. Nothing in the world. He was screaming, begging for it to stop. It wouldn't the pain wouldn't stop for anything, nothing but death. It would be welcoming, and he could see his parents again. "Kill me!" He was screaming into the ringing silence of the atrium, and everyone there remembered it for the rest of their lives.

He wanted to die. He truly wanted an end to it, an end for everything. It didn't matter that he would never live again, he had to die. It was the only way to stop the pain. It didn't matter that he would never see anyone again. He would never see Sirius, or his friends, or Draco. Draco. Draco.

The word bounced around his head, and he heard it thousands of times, each one bringing forth a memory of what he would be giving up. Walking together, under the invisibility cloak; all those fights in the halls; secret exchanges of notes and letters, the only way they could communicate sometimes; Draco, calling him sweetheart; escorting Draco to his common room like the gentleman he tried to be; kissing everywhere they could, both in locations and on their bodies; Draco, looking at him with those beautiful silver eyes; whispering sweet nothings to each other; worshiping each other with everything they had; talking about anything and everything; laughing at each other and even the least funny of things; laying together, sleeping cuddled in each other's arms; Draco, sticking his tongue out at Harry; drying each other off with white, fluffy towels; running his hands over Draco's creamy skin; Draco's softness and hardness; Draco's perfection; Draco.

He was still screaming, but now it was wordless. It was still pain filled, but now it was leveled. He couldn't die. He just couldn't, he had something to fight for, to live for. He wanted more with Draco, more life with him. He was filled with hope for the future, filled to the brim with love. He wanted so much out of life, and Draco was the one to usher all of it forth.

He saw quidditch matches, Hogsmeade trips, classes, houses, pets, children, friends, points, cups, tests, baths, casting spells, marriage, happiness, love.

There was more screaming, all in his head, and then, there was silence, except his panting. He was sore all over, every inch of his body hurt. He couldn't move.

Slowly, he became aware of movement around him, voices, noises. There were words being spoken to him, but he was too far out of it to register what was being said. He moaned in pain as he was lifted, as gently as it was. The scene around him was changing, he closed his eyes, too tired to do anything else.

When he woke, and he wasn't sure he had fallen asleep, he was in a white room, the hospital wing. "Harry." A voice called to him, and he looked over to see Dumbledore. He looked even more tired than Harry felt. He sat up despite his protesting body. "Harry," Dumbledore repeated. Harry stared at him, his head still wasn't quite clear. "I'm so sorry, Harry." Harry was surprised and confused to see tears forming in his not twinkling, blue eyes.

***** Present**

"…And it's me or him. I have to kill him or die trying. I can't…I don't know what to do, Draco." Draco was crying with him, and they hugged tightly. They were both openly sobbing, and Harry felt just a tiny bit better. He couldn't lose Draco, no matter what else happened in his life, however long it lasted, he was so lucky to have Draco. He did remember the part where Voldemort had possessed him, how thoughts of his love for Draco had saved him. He hadn't told Dumbledore that it had been Draco he was thinking about, he had assumed Harry was thinking of Sirius and Harry didn't correct him. Draco couldn't be lost to the world, no matter what.

Sirius was going to be fine. It was the first thing Harry had asked. He had thought he had died, but he was fortunate Remus had been there, able to counteract the hex right away. He was in Saint Mungo's, recovering, Dumbledore had promised that Sirius would call on the mirror as soon as he woke up. Harry hadn't wanted to know what Sirius was shot with.

Harry stroked Draco's hair. Seeing Draco so upset was calming him, bringing out the desire to protect him. In a way, he was relieved for having answers, relieved that he finally knew what Voldemort wanted with him. He still had a bundle of dread deep in his core, but it didn't feel as tight, sitting here, holding Draco to him.

"I love you so much." He said into Draco's blonde head. Draco let out a sob and lifted his head to meet Harry's eyes.

"I love you. So much." Draco's eyes were red and wet, his nose was dripping a little, his cheeks were red, puffy, and tear-stained, his lips dry and chapped. He was so beautiful. Harry conjured a handkerchief and slowly cleaned Draco's face. Draco sniffled.

"What are we going to do? How are you going to defeat him?" Harry loved him.

Harry had to do it, he had to. "Draco, I don't know what I'm going to do, but it'll be alone. I can't be with you anymore." Draco's mouth opened, and a breath escaped him. "I've been thinking about this a lot, and I need to know that you are ok, I love you too much to sacrifice you. Voldemort is after me, and if he finds out about us, he'll kill you to get to me. This wasn't an easy decision to make. It will kill me, but you are more important than anything, and I need to put you first, so…goodbye." He kissed Draco's forehead, and started moving away, already feeling his heart shattering into millions of pieces. He couldn't bear to look at Draco's face, sure he would see heartbreak there too.

A hand grabbed his, warm and perfect. It pulled him as Draco stood, standing directly in front of him. Harry was wrong, his expression was furious.

"Bullshit, you selfish, egotistical, self-centered, conceited, awful, stupid man. I am not going to let you do this. You think I'll be magically ok if you leave me? I have given up everything for you, and I don't care what Gryffindor nobility idea you've got into your head, it won't work. If I choose to fight Voldemort," Harry stared at him using the name, he usually at least winced, "in public, it will be by your side. But just take a break from being idiotic for a moment and think like a Slytherin. We have been together for two and a half years, and no one knows. All we have to do is keep the secret for just a little longer, until Voldemort is dead, and we can continue as we have been. No one has any clue, Voldemort doesn't find out. Doesn't that sound like a better plan than your stupid, illogic plan?"

Harry bit his lip, searching Draco's determined eyes. "If you die, it will kill me."

"If I die, it will be because of Voldemort, not you. What if we do break up, and I die anyway? Will that make you feel any less guilty?"

"No." Harry admitted, sitting down again. He really thought that this was the right thing to do, but Draco brought up some good points, and his plan would allow them to be together. That was selfish, whatever Draco said.

Draco sat next to him and took his hand, Harry let him. "Harry, do you trust me?"

"Of course, with my life." Harry said. Draco smiled softly and placed his hand on the side of Harry's face, forcing him to meet his eyes.

"Then trust me enough to let me make this decision about my life. Believe me, if I thought I was in enough danger and I thought it would help, I would dump your sweet arse in a second. But I don't believe that. I think that you will protect me against anything, and the safest place I will ever be is by your side. I think that you and I together is a winning match. I think that you need me to defeat Voldemort. I think that you will need me to take care of you. I think I love you more than anything in the world. I think that together, we can take on anything."

Harry stared at him, hope, happiness, warmth and love swirling in a bubble in his chest. "Are you sure?"

Draco rolled his eyes, and Harry felt tears pricking on his. "I am. I've never been surer of anything in my life." Harry bit his lip before slowly nodding, and Draco pulled him into his arms. "I promise, you won't regret this."

Harry hoped he knew what he was talking about. Draco had always been smarter than him. "I'm sorry, Baby. I'm sorry."

"It's ok." Draco kissed his head as Harry started sobbing. "I knew you were an idiot when I started dating you." Harry choked out a laugh. "I love you. So much. Don't do that to me again. I don't know what we're going to do, but I can't do it without you."

"I don't either, but we'll find a way." He said with sudden clarity. "I have no idea how, no idea at all, but I know that I will figure it out, because I feel like I can do anything when I have you by my side. So as long as you are with me, I can do absolutely anything. And I will do absolutely anything to keep you, to live with you, to love you. I know that we will get through this. Together." Draco stared at him. "Together?" he asked, more hesitant.

Draco bit his lip, sniffling, then touched his forehead against Harry's. "Together." He agreed.

He slept in Draco's arms that night. His friends were under the impression that he was still in the hospital wing, wanting to be alone, and he couldn't say no when Draco asked him not to leave. He wasn't sure what Draco told his friends, if anything. They ended up going to the Room of Requirement, sleeping in a huge, fluffy bed in a warm, comforting room with a roaring fire. It was everything Harry needed for the last day he was seeing Draco for a long time.

"There was two good things Dumbledore told me about." Harry told Draco's hand, which was curled up, clasped in his against his lips as they laid, Harry's back to Draco's chest in bed. Draco hummed in question. "First, he saw my hand, and wanted to know all about that, and when I told him, he was pissed. Told me I should have told him, understood why I didn't, commended me for my courage, yada yada." Draco smiled and kissed the back of Harry's head. He loved that, to Harry, commendation from the great Albus Dumbledore warranted a 'yada yada.' He would never grow tired of the man in his arms.

"Do you think Umbridge is going to get arrested?" Draco asked in excitement. Harry laughed.

"I honestly don't think so. She's so slimy, I'm sure she has some back up to cover her arse. I'd be very surprised if she's still here in the morning, the way Dumbledore was acting."

"What was the second bit Dumbledore told you?" Draco prompted when Harry fell silent.

"Oh, that's right. Well, Dumbledore said I didn't have to go back to the Dursleys!" Draco sat up to look at Harry.

"That's the best news I've heard all night! Oh, Sweetheart, I'm so happy for you, I know you were worried about that." Harry shrugged modestly, turning on his back to face Draco. A faint blush of pleasure was staining his cheeks. Draco knew he was bottling his emotions again and tried to get some of them out.

He detangled himself from Harry and started jumping on the bed, right next to Harry's body, bouncing him up and down. Harry started laughing immediately, clutching his sides when they started to hurt.

"Come on, join me, we're celebrating!" Draco demanded, and Harry got up to jump with him. They jumped and laughed together, holding both hands. "You don't have to go back to the Dursley's!" Draco started chanting it in a song, and Harry joined in, replacing the "you" with "I."

Draco's foot moved from under him, and he fell against the cushions, swearing but still laughing. Harry landed next to him, massaging his ankle, some of the mirth gone from his eyes, but not completely since Draco was still in a good mood.

Harry examined Draco's foot carefully, making sure there were no obvious injuries, and Draco had a moment of thankfulness that he had Harry. His long, dark lashes brushed against the lens of his glasses when he blinked, and Draco felt himself fall even more in love with him.

He sat up, and grabbed Harry's face, taking three heartbeats to look at his beautiful face. For some reason, he couldn't speak, and was somewhat choked up, so instead, he leaned forward to kiss Harry.

Harry tilted his head in confusion at the look on Draco's face, but seconds later, enjoyed the passionate kiss. He placed his hands on Draco's neck and they fell back against the pillows again, not separating for a long time.

The next morning, they stayed in bed for as long as possible, kissing, touching each other, and talking quietly holding each other's hand for as long as possible before they parted. Harry still had some packing to do, his last several days had been crazy. The students collectively boarded the Hogwarts Express, more depressed than he had ever been. Not even the story of Umbridge's removal from the school cheered him up.

Dumbledore had arrived and taken up place in his office with absolutely no trouble. When he requested in his polite way that she vacate and leave immediately, she refused, saying that she was the Headmistress. Apparently, Hogwarts itself disagreed with her. She was chased out the front doors by suits of armor, portraits screaming at her, being pelted with food by the students. Dumbledore simply sat on his thrown-like seat at the Head Table and commented to an amused McGonagall how excellent the tea was that morning.

Ok, it cheered him up quite a bit.

He sat in a compartment with Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, and Ginny. They mostly talked quietly, but near the end of the journey, Cedric Diggory appeared at the door. He found something to say to each of the other members of the group, then asked to speak to Harry, privately.

Harry had been expecting something like this, and what he had dealt with the last couple days made it easy to see it as a small thing.

"I was disappointed we weren't able to hang out more this year," Cedric said. Harry nodded. "I was a bit more preoccupied with my studies than I had intended, I didn't mean to ignore you."

"You didn't." Harry disagreed lightly.

Cedric shook his head. "Well, I was hoping I could write to you over the summer, maybe we could meet up and go out sometime?"

Harry took a deep breath. "I would like that, but if we do, it will have to be as friends." He said simply.

Cedric blinked, then shuffled his feet. "I see."

"I have a boyfriend, and I love him." Harry was so tired. "We're not quite ready to come out of the closet yet, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone, but that doesn't make it any less real. I hope we can be friends."

Cedric looked up at him, blinking. "Oh. Well, alright. I can certainly respect that. How long have you been together?"

Harry gave him a half smile. "Over two years. Yeah," he added at Cedric's surprised look. "Hopefully things will be a bit calmer next year and I can tell you who he is. It's killed me that we can't be open about our relationship. I hope you understand."

Cedric smiled, and it was a real one. "I do. Relationships are hard, same-sex ones can be a bit harder under the right circumstances. I hope you get to come out soon, and I promise, I won't tell anyone."

"Thank you," Harry said, and held out his hand. Cedric shook it, and said he hoped he could still write to Harry. Harry agreed, and they departed. Harry was confused why Hermione ducked into the compartment as he came back.

An hour before they made it back to the station, Draco entered the cabin. "You're dead, Potter." He said, and Harry had a hard time not snorting or laughing.

He stood instead, "funny, you'd have thought I'd stop breathing."

"I know you got my father arrested, Potter, and you're going to pay." Harry followed him out as he left.

"Don't follow me," he warned his friends, then called out "Hey, Malfoy!" In front of his and Draco's friends, he shoved Draco into an empty compartment and closed the blinds.

"Your father deserved everything he got!" He yelled to the closed door, then kissed Draco quickly. "I just wanted one last kiss from you for the summer."

Draco grinned. "You'll pay for everything you've ever done to me, Potter!" He yelled, then said quietly, "just one?" and kissed him.

"Oh yeah?" Harry yelled, placing his arms around Draco's neck. "As many as we can get away with."

"Oh, yeah! My father will hear about this!" Draco's arms wrapped around his waist. "I love you, I'm going to miss you so much."

"What's that going to do? Your father's in prison!" He attacked Draco's neck with heated kisses. "I'm going to miss you. Sure, you don't want to come home with me?"

"I don't need my father to take on you, Potter!" Draco let out a soft moan into Harry's ear. "Think we can get away with some blowjobs?"

Harry snorted. "What are you going to do about it then?" He very carefully pulled down Draco's shirt collar to place a heated kiss on his collar bone. "Meet me in the bathroom in five minutes."

They exited the compartment to a small crowd after they had loudly exchanged insults for a couple minutes. They had checked their appearances to look like they hadn't been kissing. It was the most dangerous and exhilarating experience they had shared together.

It was easy getting to the bathroom.

It was harder to crouch down on his knees on the tiny bathroom to worship Draco, but it was definitely worth it.

Draco sighed, then grinned down at Harry before they traded places.

Draco hummed and licked his lips before he kissed Harry. He absolutely loved kissing after they pleasured each other. He could taste their delicious tastes mixing, creating the best flavor he had ever had the pleasure of trying.

"I can't wait for summer to be over. You know, maybe we can meet up at Diagon again, or get a private hotel room somewhere."

"You just want another blowjob."

"That, and I want to see your gorgeous face." Harry sighed happily.

"That's a great idea. Send me a message over the bracelets, alright? I love you."

"I love you too, I'll see you soon." They kissed once more and left separately, checking to make sure the coast was clear first. Harry had a harder time than ever parting from him. Remus was going to be waiting for him at the platform, and they would go see Sirius, who had woken no worse for wear, then head to Grimmauld Place. Sirius wanted to show him the new house himself, when he was free to leave the hospital. Even with the potential for the best summer ever staring him in the face, he wanted it to be over, so he could be back in Draco's arms.

* * *

Draco looked around the Platform, searching for his mother. She was tall and blonde, so she was pretty easy to spot. He got several distrustful looks, but he was used to that. He was used to people looking at him like he was a Death Eater's son, and he was. Now so, more than ever. His father had brought great dishonor on the house of Malfoy when he had been caught. It was a Slytherin Rule, if you must do something wrong, don't get caught.

Now, however, things were looking up. He would go home, and restructure how the Malfoys were seen. By the time his father made it out of prison, he would be unable to change what Draco had done. He would speak to his mother, they would change the wards, make charitable donations, and possibly renounce his father's ways.

He hadn't told Harry his full plan, not wanting to hide anything from him, but unable to get Harry's hopes up, in case it fell through; it would make a wonderful surprise in any case. He was hopeful that he could walk into the Great Hall during the Welcoming Feast, the very last one student to arrive, all the other students already seated. He switched it up sometimes, but he would either stalk right up to Harry Potter, and kiss him, or drop to one knee and propose.

It would be a glorious way to come out. Personally, he was favoring the proposal option. He had started wanting to marry Harry at some point this year and started making plans to make it happen. If he could talk to his mother, she could sign a document making him the head of household, which would grant him power, which would allow him to change how he was perceived. Thanks to Harry, he had protection and a means of escape, the last components to his plan he needed. Harry's determination to break up with Draco had thrown a bombarda on his plans, but he still planned on asking Harry to marry him.

No matter what happened, he had a plan, and a way to execute it, and Harry. He had Harry. As long as he had Harry, he was alright. Of course, he didn't have enough of him. He wanted more, and this plan was a way to get more. Nothing would stop him, he would succeed or die trying.

"Mr. Malfoy," a deep, rather scary voice sounded behind him.

"Mr. Goyle. Mr. Crabbe. A delight, as always, to see you." He shook their hands, wondering about their predatory smiles. He could see Vincent and Gregory behind their fathers, arms crossed and looking at him with cold smirks, rather poor imitations of his own. He was suddenly struck with the realization of who had snuck the weak-will potion past Harry's defenses and into his bloodstream.

"You'll be coming with us." Mr. Goyle said.

Draco reared back. "I'm just waiting for my mother, have you seen her around?"

"Oh, we've seen her." Mr. Crabbe said. "She's waiting for you at your manor. In a bit of a spot, your mother, you see. Asked us to pick you up and bring you to her." They exchanged large smirks and Draco felt his insides grow cold.

"What did you do to her?" He asked, anger rearing up inside him.

"Us? We didn't do nothing to her. The Dark Lord, on the other hand…" Mr. Goyle trailed off quietly and suggestively.

Draco closed his eyes, terror and anger raging war inside him. He took a deep breath and opened them slowly. "I don't have a choice, do I." His voice was so even, considering how upset he was. "Take me to her."

Their smiles widened and they each grabbed one of his elbows before leading him away.


	11. Year 6 Part I

A/N: Welcome to year 6, do yourself, and me, a favor and prepare yourself for some feels. This chapter itself isn't so bad, but fair warning. They're coming.

* * *

Harry grunted as he stretched out on his bed at the Lupercal. He had just awoken after a particularly pleasant dream and after he put his arms back down, he lay there thinking. Sirius had let him sleep in, usually he got Harry up to make breakfast. Sirius tried, but something always went wrong, and the results were only sometimes even edible. He sniffed the air, yes, there was the scent of burnt food in the air. He chuckled but didn't get up. He had a right to laze around today, after all, it was his birthday.

He checked his bracelet for a response from Draco, there was nothing. He figured Draco must have been busy with something for his responses to Harry's messages were fewer and fewer as the summer wore on. He had to admit he was a tad bit hurt he hadn't bothered to wish Harry , but maybe he had sent something, or was going to. It wasn't like Draco to ignore him or forget about him. His old insecurities returned to him for a moment. That Draco would leave him, that he wasn't good enough, that Draco really didn't love him.

Just as he was thinking that he would never hear from him again, his wrist heated, indicating that Draco had just sent a message.

_Happy Birthday! I hope you enjoy your Sweet 16, I wish I could be there with you to help you celebrate. I got you two things, one of which is mostly a gag. If you don't like it, just tell me so I can apologize. You'll see what I mean. I love you._

Harry sighed as he read the longest message Draco had sent him that summer. It did help calm him down, he needed to hear the 'I love you' in particular. His curiosity was piqued over his gift, or gifts. What could Draco have gotten him that he wouldn't like?

_Thanks, Babe. I'm intrigued at what you got me. Any hints?_

It took a minute for Draco to reply, but he was glad he did.

_Absolutely not. You'll just have to wait and see. Probably best if you opened it alone, don't let Sirius see it unless you want to die of embarrassment. Not the best way to go, I've heard._

Harry smiled. He loved Draco's snark, and he was intrigued what Draco could have gotten him that he might not like that would embarrass him if Sirius saw.

_To be fair, dying is rarely a good experience._

_That is true. What are you going to do today?_

_I'm sure Sirius has something planned. He's been hinting at something since the beginning of the summer. I think I'm almost scared._

_I'm sure you'll be fine. I really do want you to enjoy today, my love. Please, for me?_

_Wow, Draco Malfoy saying please. This is a special day indeed. Alright, my liege, I will endeavor to enjoy my birthday for you._

_Prat. Maybe I should take my gifts back if you're going to be an arse, simple commoner._

_My apologies, my liege. Of course, if I'm not going to like one anyway…_

_I really debated whether to give it to you, I don't want you to think I'm trying to pressure you. Should I just tell you what it is?_

Harry considered. _No, I'm sure I'll like whatever it is, just because it came from you. I'll even pretend to like it if I don't._

_No, I don't want that. I want you to be honest with me, even if it might hurt my feelings. As if I could be hurt by something like that. Tell me the truth when you see it, and we can talk about it then._

_Alright, if you're sure. Thank you for getting me anything._

_You deserve the world, Harry._

_I love you._

_I love you too. Go get some breakfast and your presents._

_How did you know I haven't gotten out of bed yet?_

_You love being lazy. It was an educated guess. Message me about your day before you go to bed._

_Alright, Baby._ There was no response.

He sat up, stretched again, and made his way to the kitchen. Sirius had made a mess of the kitchen, food objects were everywhere, flour on the floor and counters, egg shells littered everywhere, milk spilled on the kitchen table. Sirius himself was at the table, head in his hands, head shaking from side to side slowly. He was staring at a big plate that had burnt pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Across from him was a small pile of presents.

"You could have just waited for me to get up." Harry commented as he got a fork. He knew Sirius would want to clean up, and he could do it quicker with magic. He tried the pancakes and gagged immediately. Sirius had added too much salt again, probably getting it confused with the sugar.

Sirius sighed at Harry quickly trying to mask his disgust. "You don't have to pretend Harry I already tried them. I just didn't want you to have to cook on your birthday."

"I don't mind. It takes practice, I wasn't great when I first started either." Harry said as he set about making some more pancakes. He turned the stove on and started heating oil in the frying pan. "Can you clean this up, please?"

Sirius waved his wand from his seated position and the mess cleaned itself up. What do you know, Aunt Petunia was wrong, messes do clean themselves. Harry snickered at the random thought before carefully measuring out flour. "When did you start cooking, Harry?"

Harry paused before adding the eggs. "I don't remember how young I was. I think since I could stand at the oven." Sirius growled lowly, it was extremely doglike.

"Well, let's not think about that, it's your birthday! How's it feel to be 16?"

"Sort of like it felt yesterday." Harry joked. "This is definitely the best birthday I've ever had though!" Instead of smiling, Sirius grimaced. Harry looked down at the bowl he was mixing milk into, no matter how many jokes he made about the Dursleys, Sirius did not find them funny. He supposed that was fair,

"I'm sure there's a lot of competition." Sirius said dryly. Harry spooned some mixture into the pan then set up pans for eggs and .

"My eleventh wasn't that bad. Hagrid came and told me I was a wizard then took me to Diagon Alley. That's when I met Draco," he added, and he was embarrassed that his voice had turned slightly dreamy. Sirius snorted.

"I bet you enjoyed that. How did you meet, anyway?" Harry grabbed the handle of the frying pan and shook it back and forth to make sure it was slick enough before flipping it. The pancake landed smack in the middle of the pan and Harry smiled. That was his favorite part of cooking pancakes, flipping them without a spatula; it had taken him several times and subsequent punishments to get the hang of it.

"We bumped into each other outside of Gringotts, then again at Madam Malkin's. He told me about the wizarding world and made me get extra outfits because he didn't like what I was wearing." Harry grinned at the stove, remembering their encounter four years previously. They had been through a lot since then.

"Sounds romantic." Sirius commented dryly.

"Maybe not, but he was my first friend. It was worth something to me." Harry said a little defensively.

Sirius held up his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry, Kiddo, I didn't mean anything by it. When did you get together?"

Harry started plating the food, "It was thanks to you actually. The day after you broke into Gryffindor the first time in my third year, Draco realized how much I meant to him and kissed me. So, thanks for that!" He put Sirius's plate in front of him and sat down opposite him. Sirius raised his goblet in a silent toast to Harry.

"This is fantastic. I don't know how you do it. I also don't know how you are ignoring your presents; don't you want to open them?"

"After breakfast," Harry said a little weary of opening up Draco's mystery gift by accident. Sirius asked him about his time at Hogwarts over breakfast, he had been a little obsessed about learning everything he could about Harry. He answered all his questions with as much detail as possible, understanding the need to know what he had missed.

With the dishes done, he had no excuse and pulled the first present closest to him. It was from Sirius and was a collection of dress shirts in varying colors. He also received various other clothes, trainers, jumpers, and accessories, as well as a leather wallet and jacket. Sirius slid the last present closer to him and Harry eyed it wearily. It was a small package, it would probably fit a wrist watch in it. Sirius raised his eyebrow as Harry slowly lifted the top to reveal two pieces of paper.

He tilted his head in confusion. Disney was written at the top, along with small printed words and a castle in the background. They were tickets to Disneyland Paris!

He laughed in disbelief, he had always wanted to go to Disney, the Dursleys had taken Dudley when he was little, leaving him behind with Mrs. Figg. He couldn't believe he was finally going; how did Draco know?

"They're from me, we're leaving tomorrow and staying at a resort for a week! Surprise!" Sirius said when Harry asked and he leaned in for another hug. He was so excited! "I would have taken you today, but I figured you might want to spend your actual birthday with your friends and family." When Harry tilted his head again, Sirius continued. "We're having a party for you in the afternoon. Ron and Hermione should be here soon. Oh, these came for you earlier, I thought you might want to open them in private." He pulled out two additional presents and pushed them towards Harry. They were from Draco, wrapped elegantly as always.

Harry blushed, thanked Sirius again, and brought the presents to his room. He locked the door, not that he thought Sirius would enter without his permission, he just wanted the feeling of security, and set the presents on his bed.

He picked up the larger one first, looking at it from all angles, admiring the pretty silver paper. He took a moment to be grateful that he even had any presents, that he had people that cared enough about him to want to give him something. He opened the sealed note on top of it first and chuckled in surprise. 'For you to go screw yourself' was written in Draco's elegant scrawl.

He placed it down in confusion before opening the package and freezing. He was too stunned to even blush. Inside was a package that advertised a giant purple dildo.

He spent several minutes simply staring at it before heat started to flood his face. He picked the package up gingerly and read the back. He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about this.

He now knew why Draco had warned him he might not like it. He definitely didn't not like it, but he wasn't sure he liked it either. He picked up the note that had more of Draco's words written on it.

_Happy Birthday!_

_I debated giving you this gift for a long time. It doesn't have to mean anything. I don't want you to think that this is an indication I want anything from you. I just saw it and thought it would be funny. If this does make you uncomfortable, I hope you'll tell me, and I can take it back until, if, you ever want it back. Just remember that I did this out of love, because I love you more than anything. Have a wonderful day, Sweetheart._

_Your Draco_

Harry stared at the note, a little overwhelmed. Now he knew Draco's reasoning, he was touched. He wasn't sure he wanted to use it quite yet, it still felt a little dirty, but he definitely appreciated Draco's gift. He was filled with warm admiration for him and held the dragon pendant against his chest.

After a moment of feeling the happiness he had, he moved on to Draco's other gift. He opened it just as reverently as his other gift. It was a cloak, dark black with silver fastenings, and were those diamonds? They had to be . The material was soft and smooth, silky. Harry wrapped it around himself, admiring the way it flowed down his body in the mirror. Said mirror whistled at him as he came closer, and Harry blushed.

Sirius's voice came through the door, muffled by distance and wood. He opened the door and called out, "What?"

"Ron and Hermione are here!" Sirius repeated from the living room downstairs. Harry hastily hid his presents and ran out to meet them.

They all shouted their joy when they saw each other, wrapped up in a group hug. They began speaking over each other, talking quickly, as only the best of friends can do. Sirius edged around them, heading for the kitchen to give them some privacy.

They sat on the comfy couches in the living room and caught each other up on their summers. A few hours later, people started arriving for the party. The Weasley parents and Ginny were first, arriving by apparition, and Harry showed them to the back garden where Sirius had set up the decorations for the party. Harry loved this back yard. Sirius had chosen a secluded little house, with two bedrooms, three baths, it was smaller than any house Harry had ever been in, but Sirius said that after Grimmauld Place, he preferred the compact model. Harry could respect that.

As small as the house was, there was acres of land at their disposal. Harry had spent many days exploring the property on his broom and he still hadn't seen everything. The expanse was wild, trees growing randomly, wild flowers popping up every few meters, nothing was manicured at all. It was as opposite of the Dursley's house as it was possible to be. Harry wasn't entirely sure why Sirius had dubbed it 'The Lupercal,' but he kept forgetting to ask what it meant.

Bill and Fleur came by together and announced to Harry they were engaged. They both thanked him for introducing them, and Fleur gave him a hug and kiss to the cheek. He caught Ginny glaring, but wasn't sure what her problem was. When he asked, she gave him a spiel about how much she hated Fleur. Harry figured that was a bit unfair, Fleur wasn't at all bad.

Various members of the Order arrived, and Sirius muttered that he couldn't invite all of Harry's friends due to security reasons with the wards, so there were people there Harry didn't know. He was introduced to all of them by the end of the party. Remus gave him some books on defense, Harry couldn't wait to read them.

He saw Tonks sitting by herself, hair a mousy brown, nursing her drink and staring off into the distance and went to join her. "Wotcher, Harry." She said without any of her usual energy. They talked for a little while, Harry gently probing what was wrong, but all he got out of her was a vague statement of not always getting what you want. She left soon after that.

Fred and George set off a firework display once it got dark that ended in a moving portrait of Harry's face. They had given him a variety of WWW supplies that Harry was hesitant to even touch.

The party lasted well into the night, especially

It was with exhaustion that Harry finally laid down on his bed, remembering that Sirius had warned him they would be getting up early for their trip the next morning.

_I liked my presents._ He told his bracelet. _It was really sweet and thoughtful of you to get that for me, the cloak is incredible. I have to find a high-class event to wear it to. I can't wait to see you._ There was no response. Harry sighed and tried to get to sleep.

His bracelet glowed and his eyes snapped open._ I'm so glad. I was really worried you'd be upset. It would be fitting for how things are going._

_What's going on?_ Harry asked, suddenly worried. He had gotten the feeling something was wrong, but Draco had denied it every time.

I_'ll tell you all about it when I can. It's a bit much to talk about over a bracelet, but don't worry, it's nothing I won't be able to handle._

_Alright._ Harry responded cautiously._ If you're sure. Tell me if there's something I can help you with_.

There was silence, then, _I love you so much. Get some sleep, Sweetheart. I'll see you soon._

_Ok. Good night Draco. Sweet dreams, and I love you, too. Happy anniversary,_ he added. He waited for a moment.

_Happy Anniversary, I'm so glad I decided to talk to the sweet little boy with the bright green eyes and wild, dark hair. Sweet dreams._

Harry went to sleep with a smile on his face.

The next week was among the best week of his life. He and Sirius took a portkey to Paris then apparated to their resort. It definitely was a resort, not a hotel. They spent the next week eating expensive meals, riding every ride, and generally having a blast. Sirius was a lot of fun, which Harry knew beforehand, but he seemed to come alive when they were playing at the park.

It was with much reluctance that they finally took a portkey back home, but it was nice in a way to be in a familiar place again. Sirius had to go to work as an auror for most of the day, so Harry spent his either watching the telly, reading, or flying. His days passed like that until school letters came and it was time to go to Diagon Alley.

Sirius took Harry to a very classy restaurant to celebrate his scores on the O.W.L.'s, which were better than Harry had expected. He wore a suit and his new cloak Draco had given him. He thought he caught sight of Draco, but it turned out to be someone with a similarly blonde head. He guessed he was missing him a lot more than he thought.

Sirius had to work when Ron and Hermione were going to Diagon Alley, so Harry tagged along with the Weasleys. They split up to do their shopping, so Harry was just with Ron and Hermione when they entered Madam Malkin's. Harry felt a thrill travel up his spine, Draco was standing on a stool, directing a small army of seamstresses. Harry felt his affection for him increase as he watched Draco direct one girl who was practically in tears.

"Ugh, Malfoy," Ron sneered. "Let's come back."

"No, I'm sure he's almost done. I'm going to look around a bit." He collected a couple things to try on and headed towards a dressing room. Draco was just finishing up and caught his eye. He grabbed a pair of trousers and headed towards the dressing rooms as well.

"Just bring them to the register and hold them for me, it's not that hard." Harry heard him call. Harry looked to Ron and Hermione, who appeared to be arguing near the dress robes section. Just as Draco walked up to him, Harry pushed him into the small room and ducked in behind him.

Draco turned, and they attacked each other. Their teeth clanked together as their lips and tongues fought in battle. "Harry," Draco moaned as he pulled his fingers through Harry's dark locks. "I, mmhm, missed you, oh, so much. I can't believe, yes, we ran into each other, here." He spoke between kisses before Harry moved to his neck. He moaned lowly, conscious of the fact they weren't really alone.

Ron and Hermione weren't going to argue forever. He pushed Draco to the back wall, wanting to feel every inch of him. "Look, sweetheart. We look good."

Harry looked to his right and saw themselves in the mirror hanging on the false wall. They did indeed look very good pressed up against each other. He whispered into Draco's ear, "You like seeing how hot we are, don't you?" He bit the ear lightly and Draco let out a quiet but high-pitched whine.

His heart was hammering in his ears, Draco's arms were around him, his tongue down his throat. He pulled back, unable to resist a couple quick pecks. He settled his hands on Draco's hips, Draco's hands coming down to cup the back of his head. They were finally the same height and their foreheads rested against each other perfectly.

"How are you doing? Anything you want to talk about?" Harry whispered to Draco's lips.

Draco chuckled. "I'm snogging my gorgeous boyfriend, or trying to at least. How do you think I'm doing?" He leaned forward to kiss Harry and pulled him closer to his body. Harry moaned as he got lost in the kiss.

"Harry, are you in there?" They both froze as a knock came on the flimsy dressing room door. It was Hermione.

"Yeah!" Harry called out, trying to make his voice even.

"Malfoy left, we're getting fitted. Are you almost done?"

"Yeah, almost." Harry said. Draco winced. "Just a couple more things to try on." He added with a wink to Draco before he leaned forward to smack their lips together. They were very conscious to not make too much noise.

A couple minutes later, much sooner than either wanted, they parted, panting lightly. Harry moved his hands to cup Draco's face. "I can't wait until we're back at Hogwarts and we can do this whenever we want."

Draco hummed. "I can't either, of course, we don't get to do this whenever we want. We do have homework and studying, and your nosy friends."

"Details. How's your mum-mother?" Draco gasped and jumped, hand going to his arm. Harry stared. "What was that?"

"Mother is in good health. And I had a muscle spasm. Nothing to worry about, just haven't had enough potassium lately. We should probably get out there, want to go first?" There was nothing particularly wrong with what he said, nothing suspicious, he said it evenly, met Harry's eyes, but Harry had the distinct feeling he was being lied to.

"Sure," he said carefully. "I'll knock on the door if the coast is clear. Come out crouching. Wait, you're sure everything is ok, Baby?" He blocked Draco's exit when he tried to move.

Draco looked at him, meeting his eyes, "Everything's fine." He said. Harry looked, but couldn't find the lie he expected to find. He could tell there was something wrong, but if Draco really didn't want to talk about whatever it was, he could respect that. Somewhat. "Except for that stupid name you insist on calling me." Draco continued. Harry rolled his eyes.

"You love it, we both know it. I love you."

"I love you too, despite your horrid naming abilities." Harry leaned forward to give Draco another long, lingering kiss.

The coast was clear, Harry knocked on the door and went out to find his friends. Draco bought quite a lot of clothing, and he was still around as they finished up. Draco had exchanged words with them in his arsey way. Harry was just a couple steps behind him and had a sudden strange urge.

"Get under the cloak," Harry said, pulling it out and ducking under himself.

"Harry, what are we doing?" Hermione asked as they moved forward together.

"Something's wrong." Harry said, knowing that his gut instinct had been right. Draco turned down the walkway for Knockturn Alley, and Ron and Hermione caught on to what was going on. They followed Draco until he got to Borgin and Burkes, where they heard him buy something, but not what.

Harry couldn't believe how disappointed he was. Draco hadn't really done anything wrong, even if this was a dark store, but he behaved rather scarily. Harry couldn't believe he had the dark mark, he wouldn't believe it. Draco wasn't a Death Eater. Harry just had a very strange feeling, a feeling deep within his gut, that Draco was in some kind of trouble.

The feeling didn't go away. Ron and Hermione didn't find anything unusual about Draco. No one did. Sirius listened to him, but all he said was that Harry needed to trust his partner. It made Harry feel guilty enough that he backed off.

The rest of summer passed pretty quickly, and before he knew it, he was boarding the Hogwarts Express.

"Have a good year, Pup. Let me know about Christmas." Sirius pulled him into a hug. Harry held on tightly before letting go. The summer had been the best he'd ever had, undoubtedly. He said goodbye to the Weasleys as well before boarding.

He sat in a compartment with Ginny, Neville and Luna as Ron and Hermione had taken off for the Prefect's Cabin. They had a great time catching up, and received several visitors, not Draco, however.

Mandy came in after Ron and Hermione made it back. She sat next to Luna to talk for a while, but she turned to Harry as if she had just remembered something. She was looking a lot better than she had the previous year, but she wasn't the bubbly, bright person she had been at the Yule Ball, arm-in-arm with Sal.

"I was wondering if you wanted to join a club, Harry." She said. "Sally and I talked about starting up a union our fourth year, but it fell through, what with her leaving and all. Luna and I were talking about it over the summer, and we got permission from Dumbledore. Said it was a marvelous idea."

"Why do you just want Harry to join?" Ron interrupted, and Harry was disheartened to see he was jealous.

"Because it's a club for students who are LGBTQ. We're not going to refuse membership if you're straight, but I figured that didn't apply to you, plus I don't really know you that well."

Ron turned red. Hermione's eyes widened. "Why do you want Harry to join then?" Ginny asked, a strange look on her face.

Mandy looked stricken, turning to look at Harry with wide eyes, scared. It took Harry a moment to realize what she was so scared of. She thought she had just outed him. He smiled at her then turned to the rest of the compartment.

"Because I'm bisexual." He said, proudly and with no hint of nervousness. He was tired of keeping secrets, not that that had truly been a secret he was hopeful wouldn't come out, like he was with his Draco secret. It just wasn't something he thought about.

Ron's jaw dropped, Hermione looked triumphant, Ginny gasped and turned an interesting shade of red, Neville blinked, and Mandy and Luna smiled at him. Not a bad collective reaction.

"I knew it!" Hermione burst out. Harry chuckled at her. Always the know-it-all, and he said that lovingly.

"Why didn't you tell us, mate?" Ron asked, he looked a little angry and hurt. Harry sighed.

"It never really came up. It's kind of a personal thing, I don't just go blurting it out whenever I meet people. I didn't exactly hide it either, just no one ever asked."

Hermione looked thoughtful. Ron and Ginny started to lose their blush, Harry wondered why Ginny was upset.

"Of course, I'll join." Harry said to Luna and Mandy. "Do you know when the first meeting is going to be?"

"Not yet, I'll let you know." Harry smiled and nodded.

"How long have you known, Harry?" Ginny asked, apparently still on his sexuality.

"A long time. I had a crush on boys and girls at my grade school, so it wasn't that hard to figure out once I realized there was a reason for it."

"Did you have a crush on me?" Ron asked, looking both horrified and curious at the prospect.

Harry recoiled. "No offense, mate, but gross." Everyone started laughing at the look on Ron's face.

"Why do you call her Sally if she wanted to go by Sal?" Harry asked Mandy, he had been curious about that since the Ball.

"Oh, I was the only one that was allowed to call her that." Mandy smiled sadly.

Luna reached over and took her hand, giving her a smile full of hope and sympathy. They interlocked their fingers. Harry grinned.

"Thanks for introducing us, by the way." Mandy indicated their joined hands.

"You're welcome," Harry said, meaning it.

"You're quite the matchmaker, Harry." Hermione commented.

Harry blushed and waved her off. "It's only been two couples, I don't think that counts."

Mandy took Luna off to her compartment, and their next visitor was Dean Thomas. "Ginny." He said, and there was a note of anger in the tone.

"What?" She asked, not getting up from her seat, nor offering him one.

"You said you were going to come see me? What happened to that?" More anger bled through his voice.

"Oi," Ron interrupted, "don't talk to my sister like that!" Harry could feel protective instincts rising in him as well, and he was surprised at them; he glared at Dean, too.

Dean appeared startled at the combined reactions, took a deep breath, and looked apologetically at Ginny. "I'm sorry, can I please speak with you in the corridor?" His tone was much friendlier, and Harry mentally nodded at it, satisfied. He was still surprised that he was feeling protective of Ginny, but then she was Ron's little sister, which made her family.

Ginny nodded, and they left together, not coming back.

Eventually it was time to go to Slughorn's cabin for his strange Slug Club meeting. Harry had met the strange Professor when Dumbledore had asked for Harry's help with an errand that turned out to be convincing the Professor to return to Hogwarts.

Harry was still reeling from the meeting when he saw Blaise Zabini, who Harry had recognized as one of Draco's friends, enter a compartment that had Draco in it. He made a snap decision that he later regretted and followed Zabini under his invisibility cloak. Draco's eyes had focused on where Harry's trainer may have briefly shown when he jumped to the luggage rack, then narrowed suspiciously.

As the occupants of the train calmed down, Draco leaned back against Pansy, settling his head in her lap at her insistent pull, triumphant expression on her face. Harry was shocked and enraged by the show and caught sight of a butterbeer on the window ledge. With a quick spell, the butterbeer exploded, aimed right at Pansy.

She shrieked, and pushed Draco off her as she stood, jumping up and down. Draco landed on a heap on the floor, surprised and angry. "What the hell is going on?" Zabini shouted as he wiped some liquid off his cheek.

"I don't know, but I'm going to go get this stickiness off me," Pansy said, haughtily.

"Why don't you just use a cleaning charm?" Zabini asked.

"You know as well as I do, they're not good enough for anything... sticky." She leered at him. Zabini smirked as Pansy swayed her way out of the cabin.

Draco recovered his seat, his eyes traveling up to the luggage rack. Harry winced, they were both in trouble with the other now.

The conversation he listened in on was certainly interesting. Draco said he may not come back next year, and Harry wondered what he was talking about. Was that a plan to avoid his Father's influence? If so, why was he talking about it in front of his Slytherin friends? And why was he implying that he was a Death Eater? That was the second time he had heard Draco imply that. He felt cold fear grip his heart. He still couldn't believe it was true, maybe it was a power play Draco was working, or something he had to play along with. Whatever was going on, he had made a mistake coming in here. He should just trust Draco and not try to spy on him, what he was doing was despicable.

The train rolled along, and soon it was time to change into their uniforms and depart the train.

"I'll be along in a minute, I just have to check something," Draco said to the others. He pulled the curtains down and opened his trunk and Harry sighed, getting ready to tell Draco he was there. Just as he was opening his mouth, leaning over the ledge, Draco shot up, shooting a spell in Harry's general direction.

Harry felt his body snap into a board as he fell over, landing heavily on the ground. Draco grabbed the invisibility cloak off him, and hissed, "Harry! What the hell are you doing here? Were you spying on me?"

Harry stared blankly up at him, unable to move. His nose had broken from the fall. Draco said the counter spell and Harry groaned, pulling a hand up to his nose. "Why did you do that if you knew it was me?"

"I didn't know it was you. I figured it was Weasel, I didn't think my bloody boyfriend would sneak into my cabin to spy on me!" At Draco's words, Harry felt shame flow through him.

"I'm sorry. Really, I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking, I just wanted to see you. It was a huge risk and I shouldn't have done it." He looked down at the floor. He really was an idiot.

Draco sighed and slid to the floor next to him. "We usually go to the loos to see each other."

"Draco, why did you tell them that you are a Death Eater? There's no reason to, is there?"

Draco gave him a hardened look. "Everyone knows about my Father now, I have a part to play or people will begin questioning me, asking things I shouldn't answer. Besides, fear and intimidation go a long way with Slytherins. There's nothing to worry about." There was nothing to give him away, but Harry couldn't help but feel as if he was being lied to again.

"What about Parkinson? She was looking pretty cozy." He couldn't keep the note of jealousy out of his voice.

"Pansy? You're jealous of her? You do remember I'm gay right?" Harry didn't smile with Draco.

"She can caress your hair whenever she wants, apparently." His voice hardened further, and Draco frowned.

"I like having my hair stroked. She's about as close to a friend as I have. I know she wants more but she's not going to get it from me, and I've made that clear to her. You are my one and only, sweetheart. I would never betray you like that." Harry sniffed, wishing he wasn't tearing up. It was just the pain from his broken nose. Draco lifted one finger and placed it under his chin, pulling him towards him to meet his eyes. "I love you, you creepy sneak. How's your nose? Is it broken?"

Harry snorted then leaned forward to kiss him. "I love you too, you abusive weirdo." Draco smirked and raised an eyebrow at him. "It's fine, I'll go to Pomphrey and get it fixed after the feast."

"We need to leave. I think the train's going to start moving any minute." They both jumped up.

"Just in case, you go first, I'll follow in a minute." Draco nodded and gave him a quick kiss.

"See you after the Feast? Think you can get away?" Harry nodded, and Draco disappeared out the door. Harry waited a minute and exited as well. The train was empty, but Harry realized he had to double check and make sure someone had gotten his trunk. They had, but the train started moving as he left the compartment.

"Harry!" A voice called out from further down the train. It was Tonks, standing near the exit, waving him over. They both jumped and rolled as the train left. Tonks was sporting the short brown hair that she had at Harry's party and was rather depressed. Harry tried to get her to talk, but she wasn't very forthcoming. She did heal his nose, however.

The second Harry walked into the room, he was accosted. Draco pushed him hard up against the door and devoured his mouth. He had apparently been forgiven for spying earlier. Harry attacked Draco's lips just as ferociously. Draco dug his leg in between Harry's, and moaned loudly.

"Want you so bad," he groaned out. He kissed a line down Harry's neck.

Harry used the opportunity to sigh happily, he had missed this. "I missed you, baby. I want you, too."

They made their way to the couch. They had randomized the room just in case the elves came to clean, but some quick spell work had everything in its right place. Draco held Harry's hand as he led him over to the pillow, cushion, and blanket pit. He pushed Harry down, who sat up, leaning back on his elbows as Draco sensuously climbed over him. He was incredibly hot, he could feel heat, and the primal look in Draco's eyes almost scared him. He liked it.

Draco straddled him, looking him in the eyes as their foreheads touched, before Draco placed a tiny but passionate kiss on his lips. Then they ran lower as Draco slowly unbuttoned Harry's shirt. Harry tilted his head back and moaned lowly, he didn't mind Draco taking control. When his shirt was undone, Draco pulled it off him and started sucking the skin above his heart.

Harry grunted and lightly pushed, hoping Draco would move lower, but Draco made a noise of protest and Harry stopped. A minute later, Draco disconnected with a sucking sound. "I wanted to give you something to remember tonight by," Harry looked down and saw a small hickey in the shape of a heart on his pec. It was pretty cute. "I want you to feel it tomorrow and remember what I did to you."

Harry swooned and practically ripped Draco's shirt off and disconnected his lips to attach them to Draco's chest. He started sucking the same pattern Draco had, leaving behind a small heart. Draco moaned at the sight of it and put his hand over Harry's. Harry put his hand over Draco's. They kissed again, this time sweeter and softer.

They continued kissing for a long time, feeling the joy of being close together. "I like that you're marked as mine." Draco whispered as he kissed the hickey.

"I am yours." Harry reminded him. Draco whined slightly and buried his head in Harry's neck. They enjoyed the quiet for a while before Harry asked, "How was your summer?" He received no response. He shuffled a little and saw that Draco's eyes were closed, mouth opened. Harry kissed his forehead and settled in to hold Draco for a couple hours. As curfew got closer and closer, he put off waking Draco, he looked so tired. Eventually, he did awaken him, and Draco yawned, looking adorable.

"Sorry," Draco said, and pointed to Harry's neck. "I think I got a little over zealous."

There was a rather large hickey above where his collar would be. "It's alright," he said lowly. "Do you mind getting it? You're better at glamour charms."

"You don't want to just heal it?" Draco asked, getting his wand out.

"No," Harry said, grinning. "Charm it so I can still see it." With a wave of his wand, the hickey was vanished from other eyes. "Thanks."

"You kinky bastard." Draco grinned. "I love it. I wanted to see it too." They smiled at each other before linking hands, and he escorted him to his common room before returning to his own empty common room.

The first week back was eventful. In Potions, which was taught by Professor Slughorn, who had been the professor Harry had helped convince to come back to Hogwarts a couple of days before his birthday, he received a book with helpful tips. He followed them, and he ended up winning a vial of Felix Felicis Liquid Luck potion. He wasn't sure what he would do with it, but he knew it would come in handy with the war coming. He had smiled when he smelled Draco's scent in the Amortentia potion. Not that he had told anyone that.

In Defense, which was now taught by Snape, he earned himself a detention for retaliating when Snape tried to jinx him, then telling him it wasn't necessary to call him, Harry, 'sir.' Harry became legend for that.

The LGBTQ club Mandy had started had its first meeting on a Saturday in an unused classroom in the Charms corridor. Harry was surprised at how many familiar faces he saw, and there were more people than he was expecting. The room had been fitted with comfortable couches and armchairs, there were even a couple beanbag chairs. They were positioned in a circle, at the middle was a table loaded with assortments of bottled beverages and finger foods. Harry took a seat next to Luna on a long sofa and asked how many more people were coming.

"I'm not sure," Luna said in her airy voice. "We put up flyers in all the common room and spread the word through friends. I must admit, when people heard that you were coming, I think it sparked more interest." Harry grumbled at that. "I mean that there were people I talked to that were afraid to come, but when they heard that you had come out, they came back and said they wanted to. I think they felt safer, knowing someone like you being out makes it ok for them to come out too."

Harry pondered that. He still wasn't very keen on the idea of people doing things just because he did them. People would do what they wanted, however, and it wasn't his place to dictate what they did.

He talked to Mandy and Luna for a while about their relationship, they had started dating very lightly the end of the previous year. "I really miss Sally," Mandy told Harry, "but she can't be with me, and our lives have taken different turns. I'm not happy about that, but Luna has been a godsend. I feel happy again because she is in my life. I think I deserve that."

"You do," Luna told her with a kiss to the cheek. Harry was a little surprised Mandy had said all that in front of Luna, it would have hurt his feelings to have someone say that while he was dating them, but Luna didn't have a jealous bone in her body.

"You make a good couple," he told them honestly. They both smiled.

"Yes, you do," said a voice very close to Harry. Ginny had joined them on his left on the sofa, and they were a bit squished together. Harry scooted closer to Luna to give her more room.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked her, curious.

"Harry!" Mandy slapped his knee lightly, "this group is open to everyone."

"I didn't mean it like that, I was just curious, I'm sorry." He apologized to everyone.

"It's alright," Ginny said, smiling widely at Harry. "I don't mind answering. I hadn't really thought about it before, but I think I'm bisexual, too, and I wanted to join, I thought it might help me know for sure."

"Well, first off, congratulations on your discovery. Second of all, welcome," Mandy said, reaching her hand over to shake. "I had hoped this club would help students come to terms with their sexualities, and it's doing so already! We should be getting started in just a couple minutes, we're just waiting on a couple more people."

Harry looked around the room, taking stock of the people he knew and a couple of the ones he didn't. Terry Boot was a friend from Ravenclaw, he had no idea he would be here. He recognized a couple seventh and fifth years but wasn't sure of their names. There were four fourth years, one from each house. Two third years were holding hands, three second years, and a lone first year that was looking around with wonderment and fear, eyeing the other members with trepidation and trying as hard as possible to blend into his surroundings.

Mandy noticed him the same time Harry did and left her seat to go talk to him. Harry was a bit relieved, he wasn't that great at feelings and comforting the younger years. He calmed down as soon as Mandy started talking to him.

One more fourth year came in, then several Slytherins came in at once and Harry was shocked to see the boy in the middle of the group.

"What are you doing here?" They said in heated union. They had the room's attention as Harry stood to confront Draco.

He could see the slight panic in Draco's eyes. How were they going to play this? They were both so shocked they hadn't put on their hatred masks yet.

Before either could decide, Mandy was standing between them, a hand held up towards either of them. "You're both here because you wanted to join an organization where you can be yourself without any fear or judgement. This is a safe zone, and I won't tolerate intolerance. If you two can't behave and at least ignore each other, I'll ask both of you to leave. Do I make myself clear?" The hard twist to her face was unexpected on her, and scarier in effect.

They looked to each other, and Harry could see the gears turning in Draco's head just as they were in his own. If they played this off, just right, they would have a chance to be in each other's presence, still keep their secret, and be nice to each other. Was karma paying them back a bit?

Harry could see the amusement dancing in Draco's eyes and he agreed. They could do this.

"Fine." Draco snapped, almost politely.

"Alright," Harry said, bitingly.

Mandy sighed but accepted it. "Everyone please take your seats, so I can begin the first meeting of our LGBTQ club. The first order of business is welcoming you and explaining what I want from this club. The second order of business is choosing a name, then we will go around introducing ourselves and talking. Now, firstly," Mandy cut herself off with a gasp that had been repeated a couple times.

Harry looked towards the door, which had just opened. Harry tilted his head. What was Dumbledore doing there?

Dumbledore smiled at each of them in turn, eyes twinkling, before he came further into the room. He pulled out his wand to conjure an armchair and sat lightly, taking them all in.

"My apologies for being late. Please, do, go on." He waved his wand and an elegant chair materialized. He sat upon it delicately.

"Professor Dumbledore! I'm sorry, what are you doing here? Did you change your mind about the room?" Mandy blushed profusely and stammered.

"Not at all. I thought your club was such an excellent idea that I wanted to witness it. In my time, I have seen members of the LGB and T increase in acceptability. When I was a child, it was discouraged to, as you might say, 'come out of the closet.' One who was gay did not have the same job prospects, invitation to social standing, and were generally treated poorly. I even had trouble gathering the courage to 'come out,' and I had plenty of prestige by that point." Several jaws dropped in the room, Dumbledore smiled at all of them, taking a look around before continuing. "I think that creating a place where you can be yourselves shows remarkable courage, strength, and pride. I would be honored if I could be a part of it." He laid his clasped hands on his lap, looking around at all of them as if expecting an answer.

"Well, welcome, Professor Dumbledore, sir." Mandy tried to get a hold of herself. "That is exactly what we are trying to do here, create a safe place where we can be ourselves, without fear of prejudice from outside forces. Hatred is a very strong power and force. It can lead to absolute devastation. But the way you fight hate is by an even stronger force: love. Love forgives, and trusts, and heals. Without it we would be nothing, and with it, we are united and strong." She received a wave of applause for that and she looked down and blushed.

Dumbledore wiped the corner of his eye, "Truer words have never been spoken, my dear." Mandy turned an even darker shade of red. Harry saw Blaise Zabini elbow Draco and roll his eyes, but Draco only nodded, not looking at him. Harry stared a little closer, Draco was looking to his knees but glancing up at Dumbledore every few seconds. He could tell from across the circle that his breathing had picked up, and he was rubbing his thighs as his he was nervous, and his palms got sweaty. What was going on with him?

"To get into more specific points, for now, I just thought it would be nice to have a place where you could talk about your week with people who understand a little about you. I don't mean to say that we are all defined by our sexualities, but it is good to know you have someone's understanding. There are homophobic people in these very corridors," she threw an apologetic look at Dumbledore, "that would wish us unhappiness, just for acting on who we are. I think that that is unacceptable. Eventually, we may try to organize protests, petitions, a movement. I think for now, being able to talk to people is a good start." There was some applause again, and Mandy moved on.

"The next order of business is a name change. I don't know about you guys but, 'that LGBTQ club' doesn't roll off the tongue. I'm open to suggestions. Anyone?"

They all thought for a couple moments. "What about something to do with rainbows?" One of the fourth years suggested.

"That's gay."

"That's the point."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"It's a symbol in the muggle world for gay pride."

"I rather like that, Pride…something."

"Power to Pride?"

"That sounds like more of a movement than a club."

"I like it."

"Of course, you do."

They argued about it for several long minutes, Harry was a bit surprised that Dumbledore didn't interfere, merely watching them with a smile. "Do you have any suggestions, sir?" He asked him, quietly, but it apparently carried as it calmed everyone else to hear Dumbledore.

"I think all of your suggestion's have merit. I do quite like the idea of… Hope's Army. I thought the name up several years ago and never got the chance to use it."

"Hope's Army." Mandy repeated. "I like that."

Murmurs of agreement were heard around the room, Harry nodding in agreement.

"Well, I think that is one thing passed. To make it official, all in favor?" Every hand in the room rose, and Mandy smiled, it was very happy, and Harry caught a glimpse of her previous self. "Excellent. This club is hereby renamed Hope's Army." They all applauded, and Mandy took her seat. "Next, I thought we could go around the circle, introduce yourself, if you feel comfortable with it you can talk about your sexuality, if you've had trouble with it, maybe any prejudice, against you, or something general about yourself, why you're here. I'll start." She took a deep breath.

"Hi, my name is Mandy Brocklehurst. I'm a lesbian. I've known since I was seven-years-old and told my older cousin I thought his girlfriend was pretty. He called me a lesbian as a joke, but I didn't know what it meant, so he explained, and I thought, huh I guess that fits. I had a girlfriend, two years ago, Sally-Anne, I think most of you at least know of her. She didn't come back last year because her parents have a problem with her being gay, so they sent her to a camp that is supposed to help her change to be straight." She bit her lip and looked down. Luna rubbed her back. "We faced a lot of homophobia when we came out, McGonagall wouldn't let us go to the Yule Ball together. I know it wasn't her fault, but it felt like we were wrong when all we were doing was being ourselves. We got called names, people made fun of us, it made life a lot harder. But with Sally, everything was worth it, and easier because I had her. That's one reason I wanted to start this club, things are easier with friends."

She got some smiles at that. She gestured to Luna to continue, and Harry jolted at realizing he would have to be next. He wasn't sure what to say.

"Hello, everyone, my name is Luna Lovegood." Luna said, a couple of the fifth years rolled their eyes and several Slytherins snickered lowly, Harry and Mandy both glared, but Luna went on as if she hadn't heard them. "I'm afraid I'm rather used to people making fun of me, though I don't think anyone knows I'm pansexual, so I haven't been teased about that. My shoes and belongings go missing sometimes, but that's the work of the nargles. It doesn't bother me. I think things only hurt you if you let them." With that, she kicked her legs rhythmically, apparently done.

Harry startled at having to talk next. "Er, hi. I'm Harry Potter." Pretty much everyone snickered, and Harry rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, get it all out. Er, I had crushes on boys and girls in grade school, so I knew something was up, but no one else seemed to feel the way I did, until my Uncle told me that people who liked the same gender were wrong. I didn't believe him, but it made me keep quiet about it. Then I realized it really was ok and my Uncle was just a homophobic, intolerant prick. Er, sorry, Professor." Dumbledore shook his head, chuckling.

"It rather sounds like he was."

"Right," Harry said over laughter. "Anyway, bisexual and proud." Draco smiled at him slightly from across the circle, it was the first time he had. Harry smiled, taking a sip from a pumpkin juice to hide it. That hadn't been as hard as he thought.

Ginny had been watching Harry intently and looked startled when he turned to her expectantly. "Oh, yes, I'm Ginny, Ginny Weasley. I suppose it was mostly the same with me. I had a very big crush on this boy for most of my childhood, I guess it overmarked everything else." She blushed for the first time in a long time, and Harry was reminded of who that boy was. He was so glad she was over him. "But there was a girl, too. A really special girl, and I think I overlooked her because I was so focused on other things. I didn't realize what that meant until very recently. So, I think that makes me bi." She was looking at her knees and had a strange, contemplative look in her eyes.

There was silence for a minute before the fourth year Hufflepuff went. Harry was particularly interested in hearing Dumbledore's story.

He repositioned before speaking. "I would first like to commend you all for your courage, again. It is no easy task, as I know better than anyone. I was born into a time when it was particularly discouraged to be open about homosexuality. I'm a rather private person when it comes to personal matters, so I hope you'll indulge me in my ambiguous biography. If anyone asked, I wouldn't have lied about being gay, but it was more than assumed, it was disbelieved in the opposed. No one wanted to be gay because it meant the end of a lineage. I think most who felt that way never said a word. Over the course of my life, it has become much less accepted before reaching a pinnacle and becoming more accepted again.

"I had a very brief relationship with one of the most incredible man I've ever met, and I fear he may have been my soulmate. No one has ever come close to meaning what he meant to me. However, love does not always work out. Forces opposed us and pulled us apart. It is a rather sad story I shall not bore you with, but if I can extract the lesson, it would be that love has many forms, but the love you have for yourself should come first. Not selfishly, simply realistically. You cannot sacrifice yourself or your ideals for anyone, lest you yourself be lost."

Whoa, Harry thought, and he figured it was repeated in the minds of others around him. Dumbledore had been very vague, hinting at things Harry could only fathom, but it touched on how long Dumbledore had actually lived. Harry was left with more curiosity than answers. He burned to ask Dumbledore about his life, but he had explicitly said he valued his privacy, so Harry squashed his curiosity, about that at least.

Draco now looked positively sick, he was leaning over his crossed arms and ever so slightly rocking himself. Harry wanted nothing more than to go over to him, comfort him, maybe take him to the hospital wing.

The next person, who looked terrified at the prospect of going after Dumbledore, was the first year. He started shaking slightly, but said clearly, "I'm Jamie Henderson. I think my situation is a little different. I'm a girl, trapped in a boy's body." Harry was surprised. He didn't know very much about trans people, had never knowingly met someone like that before, but he was curious to know more. "I like boys, but since I'm a girl, that would make me straight, so I don't know if that means I shouldn't be here."

"This club is for LGB and T, Jamie." Mandy said kindly. "You belong here just as much as anyone."

Jamie nodded, blushing a bit, but she was apparently done for now. The next couple students went ahead and talked briefly, but Harry was watching Draco too intensely to really pay attention. Finally, Blaise nudged Draco and he jumped up, looking around wildly. Harry sat back so no one would see him and gave him a comforting smile and encouraging nod.

Draco sighed, then started. "My name is Draco Malfoy, and I'm gay. I've known my entire life that I was different. My Father has tried to set me up with countless marriage contracts, but I was never interested in any of the young ladies he introduced me to. I fear what he will do when he finds out, if I don't marry and produce an heir it would be the end of his line. That, I don't need to say, would be blasphemous, so I must ask that no one say anything." He met Harry's eyes, who gave him a sympathetic look and rubbed his chest, briefly stopping with his hand over his heart. His hickey was still there, and it had worked as Draco intended.

Instead of looking reassured, Draco looked sicker. "Excuse me, I need a moment." There were soft, sympathetic murmurs saying they wouldn't tell anyone as Draco left the room. Harry wanted to jump up after him, but at the door, Draco turned back and shook his head. He took that to mean don't follow me.

"That brings up an excellent point. We should have done this earlier, but I thought it went without saying. I think we should all swear not to say anything that goes on in this room with nonmembers. We'll continue for now and do that when Draco gets back." Draco didn't come back, however.

Harry surreptitiously typed into his bracelet, Are you ok? Draco didn't respond for several minutes.

Yes, I'm fine. Won't be coming back though. I'll see you tomorrow?

The meeting concluded once they were done introducing themselves. Harry was surprised at how long it took. Even if he couldn't show any friendliness for Draco, he wished he was there with him.


	12. Year 6 Part II

Sundays were still the days Harry and Draco would meet up no matter what. They had decided they needed a set day, so they had some structure. It really worked out for the best.

Harry waited for twenty minutes after Draco said he'd be there, before sending a message Where are you across the bracelets. Another twenty minutes went by and Harry had his Transfiguration essay done. Another twenty and he was finishing up one of his defense books Remus had given him for his birthday. He was trying to figure out what else he could do when Draco threw the door open and came rushing in, panting. He put his hands on his knees and bent over, catching his breath as he said, "I'm sorry," over and over.

Harry stood and walked over to him. He wasn't overly upset, just ever so slightly annoyed, but seeing Draco like that made it melt away. "It's alright, Draco." He rubbed his back and led him over to their chairs. They had frequented the sofa more often, so they could cuddle, but Harry wanted to talk.

He waited to see what Draco would say. "I was working on homework and got caught up. I didn't see your message until five minutes ago." Harry really wanted to believe that, but he had a hard time with it. "Did you have a hard time with the charms essay? I had to look in five different books to really get the concept…" Harry listened, but Draco went on and on about the stupid charms essay for what felt like forever. He was still curious about Draco's behavior recently. Was he sick? Had something happened to his mother?

Draco had gone over to the other essays they had been assigned. Harry still listened to everything he said, even when it got mind numbingly dull. He could listen to Draco talk all day.

"How was your homework this week?" Harry raised an eyebrow. They did talk about homework on occasion, but this was the first week back, Draco usually wanted to gossip about people's summers. Yet another odd thing.

"It was alright. I got it done while I was waiting." That was about as much input as he put in without Draco's nudging. "How was your summer?"

"Eh, I missed you. I was glad to be back. And this week was really something huh? What about that Hope's Army meeting? I had no idea you were going to be there, or I wouldn't have gone. I'm glad that I did though. It will be nice making some new friends." Harry was a bit thrown.

"Yeah. I was really surprised when Dumbledore showed up, weren't you? Who would have thought. I mean, ok, I've seen his wardrobe, but other than that…What's wrong?" Draco had gone pale.

"Me? Oh, nothing, I'm fine. Actually, I'm not feeling that great."

"Oh, no. Should I take you to the hospital wing?" Harry asked concerned. He put his hand over Draco's forehead, he did feel a little clammy.

"No, no, I'll be fine, I just want to lay down for a bit. I'm sorry, do you mind?"

"Of course not, Baby. If you're sick, you're sick. I hope you feel better. Want me to walk you down?"

"No, it's alright, you should go enjoy your Sunday. I'll be fine." Draco had never turned him down to escort him to his common room. He tried not to be hurt by that.

"Alright, well, I'll see you tomorrow." Harry leaned forward to kiss Draco, but he leaned back.

"I might be sick remember?" Draco said at Harry's hurt look.

Harry's face evened out to warmth, and he grabbed Draco's face. With intentional slowness, he leaned forward and kissed Draco's lips. Draco sighed into Harry's cheek and hugged him. Harry expected it to be quick, but it wasn't. Draco hugged him tightly, rocking them slowly for several long minutes.

Harry was starting to grow concerned. "What's wrong, Baby?" Draco pulled away, so he could see Harry but didn't remove his arms.

"Why would something be wrong? Can't I just want to hug my darling boyfriend?" He kissed Harry slowly and Harry felt heat rising in him. Draco rested his head on Harry's shoulder. They were almost dancing.

"I guess. You'd tell me if something were wrong." Harry said, not making it into a question, but it would be great to get a response.

"I love you so much Harry," Draco whispered into Harry's neck, tightening his hold. Harry felt something wet and thought it might be a kiss. They stood there quietly, gently swaying, for a long time, then Draco quickly kissed him, was saying a goodbye, and was out the door, almost as suddenly as he had entered. Harry stared after him, confused. He knew something was wrong, and he wanted to know what.

He trusted Draco to tell him that something was wrong, but he was concerned that Draco didn't know he could. Something was wrong, something bad, and he needed to help Draco. Draco needed him.

He told himself all this hoping the voice saying he was doing something wrong would quieten.

The following Saturday were Quidditch tryouts. By the end of it, Harry was ready to turn in his captain's badge. The amount of people that showed up just to be around Harry was mind boggling. After he weeded out the crazy people, it got a little easier, but the annoyance of one person almost outweighed all the other students combined. Cormac McLaggen could not have been worse. Harry was so relieved Ron managed to outplay him, even if he might have refused to let him on the team just for his attitude.

In the end, the team consisted of Ginny, Ron, Demelza, Jack, Jimmy, Ritchie and Harry.

He, Ron and Hermione also went to visit Hagrid, who told them that Aragog was dying. Harry was privately relieved.

Later that evening was the first Slug Club dinner, which was uncomfortable and a waste of time, in his opinion. He wasn't about to lose his good favor with Slughorn.

If his day wasn't full enough, it ended with his detention from Snape. He had him debowling flobberworms.

The next day, Draco was late, though not as late as he had been the previous week. They talked for a while, then when Harry brought up the summer, Draco decided their time was better spent doing other things. He couldn't help but agree.

The next couple weeks went by in the same way. Draco was either late or completely missed their dates every Sunday. Harry was beginning to feel hurt as well as suspicious. He knew it was hypocritical of him to want to know what Draco was doing when he hid what he was doing from Ron and Hermione. He just knew there was something wrong, and it bothered him to the point of distraction.

He was not proud of this at all, but he checked the map to see if he could find Draco a couple times, but he was nowhere to be found. That was strange enough in and of itself, but he was ashamed enough he didn't bring it up with Draco.

Draco had informed him he had detention with McGonagall on the Hogsmeade visit, so Harry went with Ron and Hermione. It was very unlike Draco to get detention, Harry was sure he hadn't gotten one since first year. His worry increased.

The morning arrived very early for Harry, so he sat in bed reading his potions book. He saw a spell, levicorpous, and stupidly thought about it as he flicked his wand. Ron yelled as he was levitated over his bed upside-down. Harry bought him some sweets from Honeydukes to make it up to him. The trip into the village went well enough, even with Harry's mind half on Draco. That was before what happened to Katie Bell.

Harry notice her arguing with a friend and the confrontation only escalated. They seemed to be fighting over a package. All of a sudden, Katie was floating in the air, wind swirling around her, then she was in the snow. Harry recognized the necklace from his trip to Borgin and Burkes about four years ago. It was too much of a coincidence that Harry saw Draco purchase something from there, then it turned up here at Hogwarts. The feeling made him sick, but he couldn't help but think that Draco was involved here. Who had the necklace been for?

When McGonagall talked to them about the incident, Harry asked to see her privately. Ron and Hermione groaned, knowing he was about to say something was wrong with Malfoy. Harry didn't want Draco to get in trouble, but he was almost positive he already was, and he needed help out.

McGonagall raised her eyebrow before Harry gathered what he wanted to say. "Professor, I know that necklace came from Borgin and Burkes, in Knockturn Alley. I saw it there four years ago, and this summer, I saw Draco—Malfoy," he added, hoping it would sound like he meant to say Draco's full name all along. "Purchase something from there." He paused, trying to think of how to phrase this next part.

McGonagall interrupted, "did you see him purchase the necklace?"

"No," Harry admitted, "but—"

"Potter, unless you saw him make the purchase, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do. Draco Malfoy was in detention, with me, when the incident took place. There's no possible way he could be in two places at once."

"I'm not saying he handed her the necklace, ma'am, I'm saying, Malfoy is behaving weird, and I think he might be in trouble. Will you please talk to him?" McGonagall appeared surprised by the turn of the conversation.

"You are concerned for him, Potter?" McGonagall asked, very suspiciously.

"No! I mean, he's not evil, Professor. I think he might be in trouble, and I don't know what else to do." He had said that last bit way too desperately, but it at least appeared to sway her.

"I highly doubt he was involved, Potter, but I will ask him if he has seen the necklace before." McGonagall said, placing a hand on his shoulder, briefly.

Harry shook his head. "Ask him if there's something wrong too, Professor." McGonagall raised an eyebrow before nodding.

"I can't believe you bothered her with your insane theory, Harry." Hermione said the moment she saw him. "Draco Malfoy didn't have anything to do with this, and you know it."

"He's not a Death Eater, Harry," Ron added.

Harry sighed. "I never said I thought he was a Death Eater, I said it was weird when I saw him jump when my scar hurt. I just said I think he's in trouble."

Hermione sighed and shook his head. "I don't think he is." They kept arguing about it, Harry refusing to concede.

Dumbledore's second lesson was a memory of Tom Riddle as a young boy being admitted to Hogwarts. Harry hadn't told Draco about the lessons, not because he didn't trust him, but because Dumbledore had asked him not to tell anyone but Ron and Hermione. Harry knew it would probably be fine, but he knew he'd feel guilty. He did feel guilty for keeping things from him.

The next day, Hermione asked Ron to go to Slughorn's holiday party with her. Harry thought it might be a miracle.

Hope's Army met several more times, and Harry was really beginning to enjoy the meetings. Draco would leave early most of the time or arrive late. Harry had started following him. He was very ashamed of this fact. He had figured out that Draco was going to the Room of Requirement, and sometimes it would be guarded by Crabbe and Goyle disguised as little girls. That was disturbing enough. What made it worse was knowing that Draco was keeping something serious from him, something that was looking more and more like something sinister.

He loved Draco so much. All he wanted was for Draco to be safe and happy, but he couldn't help but feeling like he was neither. As the weeks went on, Draco looked more and more sick, losing weight and pallor. Darker and darker marks under his eyes popped up, and he began missing meals and classes. One time, Harry noticed that Draco's eyes were red-rimmed, as if Draco was either losing sleep, or crying. Harry wasn't sure what he had done to warrant Draco ignoring him, and he was starting to lose it.

Their physical relationship was starting to suffer. Draco still jumped him whenever Harry brought up the summer, and Harry was finding it more and more hurtful, so he backed off more. There was less and less substance to what they talked about, and they saw each other less and less as Draco started avoiding Harry.

His stress level was nearing its breaking point with quidditch, too. With Katie in the hospital, Harry had asked Dean Thomas to join the team, and they couldn't be doing much worse. Ron was not doing well, and the two of them catching Ginny and Dean kissing made him even more distracted. Ron even tried to resign from the team the day before the match, and that's when Harry came up with a plan.

At breakfast the next morning, he initiated it. "Harry!" Hermione had turned white. "Did you just put Felix Felicis in Ron's juice?" Ron stopped drinking.

"You did what?"

"I did nothing of the sort," Harry denied. Hermione was a ball of nervousness, and Harry found out why after they won the match. Harry was enjoying a butterbeer and talking to Becky McNeal, another member of Hope's Army, when Hermione came storming in with McGonagall behind her.

"Harry," Hermione started, and Harry was startled to see tears in her eyes. The room quieted as McGonagall marched up to him.

"Is it true, Mr. Potter?" Her tone couldn't have been more disapointed. "Did you put Felix Felices in Mr. Weasley's goblet before the match?"

"What? No, I didn't—!"

"Harry! I saw you put the potion in Ron's juice!" Hermione said, almost hysterically.

Harry shook his head. "No, Hermione." He pulled the vial in question out of his pocket. "You saw me put juice in his juice. I only pretended it was Felix Felicis." He turned to Ron, "the only problem you've ever had is your confidence, Ron. You thought you couldn't lose, so you didn't! It was all you today, you saved every single goal without the help of anything." He handed the vial to McGonagall for inspection. "You weren't supposed to be called, Professor, I never intended for you to get involved," he eyed Hermione, who looked stricken. Harry was shocked when she pulled the vial from McGonagall, inspecting it.

"Where's the real bottle?" She accused him. Harry reared back. With a wave of his wand, it was being summoned down the stairs. It was full.

"Ms. Granger, I'll speak with you later. Everyone else, get back to your party, but don't have too much fun. I will be giving detentions to whomever is mysteriously ill tomorrow morning." McGonagall departed.

"I can't believe you ratted Harry out, Hermione." Ron threw at her.

"I thought Harry cheated, Ron, and I may have been wrong, but—!"

"You just couldn't stand the thought that I didn't need help to win!"

"You thought he cheated too, Ron!"

They dissolved into fighting, with Harry trying cautiously to make peace between them. Eventually, they both stormed off in opposite directions.

Ginny came up to Harry right after that to talk about the game, so Harry lost sight of both of them. Later, he saw Ron kissing Lavender Brown, then heard the slamming of the portrait hole.

The closer Christmas came, the more Harry looked forward to it. He really could use a break from school. Ron and Hermione were fighting, school work was piling up, Draco was still acting weird. He was still working and he had increased the times to daily, and that was really beginning to wield results that Draco and he were both happy about. It was also helping him out with his stress levels, which made it doubly important.

He asked Luna to go to Slughorn's Christmas party with him, with Mandy's permission. Mandy had been excited at the prospect of Luna getting to go, she really was a sweetheart. Hermione ended up going with Cormac McLaggen and spent much of the party avoiding him. Harry had a better time than he thought he would. The only downside was when Filch pulled Draco into the room. Harry hadn't seen him for several days, and Draco hadn't looked worse. He claimed to be gate-crashing, but Harry knew when he was lying. He tailed him when Snape asked to talk to him. He got a confirmation that something was going on, that Draco had been instructed to do something.

He decided to confront Draco.

_I need to talk to you asap, it's important._ He messaged Draco after the party ended and he had walked Luna nearby the Ravenclaw tower.

He got a response a couple minutes later. _I'll be at the room in ten minutes._ Harry stood outside the Room of Requirement, which didn't have Crabbe or Goyle guarding the door, until Draco appeared. He caught sight of Harry and froze, then closed the door slowly.

"What are you doing here?" Draco finally asked.

Instead of answering verbally, Harry held out his hand, invisibility cloak in the other. He covered them both with it and they wandered the corridors hand-in-hand, eventually coming to their room.

They stood in the center of the room, not taking seats, neither quite knowing what to say.

"I love you." Harry told Draco, hoping he knew it. Draco looked sick. He was paler than Harry had ever seen him, bruises under his eyes darker, eyes red, cheeks hollow, thinner, and he was definitely scared of something. Harry could read him like braille, and he knew Draco was in trouble, he knew it. He just didn't know why Draco wouldn't confide in him.

Draco softened slightly, and he whispered back, "I love you too." Harry closed his eyes in pain. This was going to be hard, but it had to be done.

"Draco…are you a Death Eater?" Harry asked the question he knew the answer to first.

Draco's eyes widened, and he sucked in air. "No." He said in a hard tone. Harry nodded, but Draco pulled up his sleeve to show him his forearm. It was pale and perfect, not a mark in sight.

"You're good at glamour charms." Harry said lightly, trying to keep the accusation out of his voice. Draco's eyes narrowed, and he pulled out his wand.

"Revelio." He said. Nothing happened. "Aparecium!" Again, nothing. "Finite incantatum!" The pale arm stayed the same. "Do you know any others?" Harry shook his head.

"I believe you." Harry said, looking into Draco's eyes.

"Good, then if there's nothing else…" Draco headed towards the door.

"There's a lot more." Draco turned around. "I know something is wrong, Draco, I know it." Draco scoffed, "I know that you made more than one purchase at Borgin and Burkes, and I suspect one of those purchases was the necklace that cursed Katie Bell. I know that something happened to your mother, something happened over the holidays. I know that you are working on something in the Room of Requirement, sometimes for hours at a time. I suspect that Voldemort gave you instructions for something, but I don't know what. I know that you're losing sleep and skipping meals. I know that you're in trouble Draco. What I don't know is why you won't talk to me. Have I ever given you reason not to trust me? Have I ever given you reason to think I would turn you in, or make things worse for you, or not help you? I want to do things for you Draco, I want to help you with whatever you've gotten into. Just talk to me please." Draco's face turned even paler, looked more and more terrified as Harry went on. His face twisted until it looked like he was being tortured.

Harry walked up to him and gripped Draco's upper arms and looked into Draco's eyes. "Please." He added.

Draco bit his lip and closed his eyes hard. His lips wobbled, and Harry was saddened to see tears. He hated that he put them there. He really hated himself in that moment.

He gently wiped the tears away and placed a gentle, light kiss on his lips. "You're right." Draco whispered against his lips. Harry pulled back slowly, hoping for more, but Draco continued, "but I can't tell you." Harry closed his eyes. "I can't Harry, I can't! Not I don't want to, not I will not, but I cannot tell you. I need you to trust me. Please, please. You can't ask me anything about this, you can't make me talk about it, and you can't ask why. I know this is a lot, and I know you're suspicious and I've been acting strange, and I've been neglecting you like hell. I know all this, and I should have known you'd try to figure it out. But Harry, I'm working on it, and I'm trying so hard to work it out. Please, just trust me. Please." Draco was gripping the front of Harry's robes, and Harry felt tears on his cheeks as well as Draco's. Harry could see the sincerity in Draco's eyes. He knew he wasn't being lied to. Now.

Harry kissed him, desperately, he wasn't even sure why. He needed Draco, needed to know that he really was ok. "Ok." He said quietly. "Promise me, you'll be ok. And you'll come to me the second you can." He still didn't understand any of it, why Draco was doing this, but he did trust him, completely.

Draco nodded, and began unbuttoning Harry's shirt. "I promise." He told Harry and pushed him backwards. "I love you so much," He ripped Harry's shirt off, tearing it slightly. Harry didn't give a single fuck.

"I love you, baby. Tell me you'll be ok." He said between kissed.

"I'll be ok." Draco answered between breaths. Harry sighed. He was still scared, still had a bad feeling, but it was leaps and bounds better than it had been five minutes ago. He slumped against the cushions.

Draco stayed up and staring at him.

He offered Harry his hand. Harry took it and Draco pulled him into a sitting position. Harry sat back against the sofa and looked at Draco curiously. He was looking nervous, and was in a strange position, kneeling on one knee. He still had Harry's hand.

"Marry me." Draco said suddenly. Harry blinked and stared.

"What?"

"Marry me." Draco repeated. Harry still stared.

"I…I thought you said we were too young. And we couldn't get married anyway."

"That doesn't matter. As far as I'm concerned, after we do the bonding ceremony, we'll be husbands. I don't care if the Ministry doesn't acknowledge it, you and I are the only two people that can decide what we are, and I want you to be my husband. Will you? Will you be my husband?" Harry still stared.

"This…Draco, this is so sudden. I love you, and of course I'll marry you, someday, but I'm not sure now's the right time to get engaged, or even married. We haven't really talked about the future, when would we do the ceremony? Have you thought about kids? What about the war? We are still very young. What about your Father, what will we do if he finds out? I have to fight in a war, I would never make you, but I have to fight, and I'm not sure it's a good idea to start a marriage in that climate. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Draco sank to the floor. Harry scrambled over to him, taking both of his hands. "I'm not saying no," Harry continued. "I'm saying yes, I just think we need to talk about it first."

Draco didn't say anything. He just looked down at his knees. "Please, say something, Draco."

He finally looked up. "You're not saying no?"

"I'm saying, let's talk." Draco nodded. He didn't appear upset or happy, if anything, he looked blank, numb.

Neither knew what to say. There was an odd silence, things had never been awkward between them, but there was a touch of it in the air.

"I love you, Baby." Draco finally smiled.

"I love you, too." He reached over with his hand and took Harry's. Harry scooted over until he could lean his head on Draco's shoulder.

"Thank you for asking me."

"Do you want kids?" Draco asked, as if he couldn't wait any longer. Harry looked up at him.

"Yes. I'd like lots. Do you?"

"They've always been more of an obligation than a desire. Ever since you and I got together, however, I've been thinking about it more and more, and I think I want one or two…just because I want them. I want something that you and I create together, that's a mixture of the both of us."

Harry thought Draco couldn't get much sweeter, but he was wrong.

"That sounds incredible. I want that too. So, you want to do surrogacy, not adoption, then?"

"What's surrogacy?"

"Oh, it's a process where a parent or parents who can't make a baby the natural way do it artificially and put the baby in a volunteer woman who gives birth to the baby." Draco looked confused and a little disgusted. "It's something the muggles have really just started to do, so it's really expensive now, but in a couple years when we're ready…" Draco still looked confused. "I really don't know that much about it, but it would be genetically related to one or both of us, whereas with adoption, the child wouldn't be genetically related." Draco's eyes widened.

"You're saying that there's a way for me to have a blood-related heir?" Draco looked awed.

"Yeah, that's the general idea." Draco laughed and sat back, putting his head in his hands.

"This is brilliant! That's the main reason gay marriage isn't done, but if the muggles have come up with a way to make it happen…! Harry, do you realize what this means? I can have an heir, with you! The Malfoy name will live on and be recognized by my family's magic! I didn't think this was possible! Oh, Harry!" He jumped on Harry and kissed him enthusiastically.

"So, you're happy huh?" Harry asked grinning. Draco nodded. Harry didn't fully understand what the big deal was but seeing Draco so happy after the last couple weeks was great. "What do you mean recognized by your family's magic?"

Draco returned to his chair. "You know that with purebloods, blood is important. The reason for that is, among many things, the family passes magic down through blood. In each family's manor, for instance, there are blood wards that are keyed into the head of the family. That title is passed down, generation to generation, and it comes with a whole assortment of responsibilities and accommodations. It's complicated, but to put it in simple terms, I was under the impression that my heirs would lose the manor and everything that comes with it because they weren't related to me, but now that I know this, what did you call it, surrogacy, they will receive everything they're entitled to."

Harry still didn't understand, but it sounded like it would be a good thing. "I've always liked the idea of adoption." He put in, just to see how Draco would take it.

He nodded. "I do too. Giving a home to a child who needs it is valiant. I would love that too. Now I don't know what to do." He leaned into Harry.

"Well, we don't have to decide now. It'll be years before we're ready, don't you think? When are you thinking we would start having them?"

Draco thought. "It's customary to start having children right after marriage, but honestly, I'm not sure I want that. I'd like to wait a couple years, maybe travel a bit before we're tied down, really have an opportunity to enjoy each other before we have little bundles of joy running around."

"I like that too." Harry said. "I can't wait until I get to start a family, but at the same time, when I think about the immediate future, I just see you and me. I don't want kids until the war is over."

Draco nodded seriously. "That makes sense. I know you'll be at the center of it, and parenting takes one hundred percent of your focus and time. You mentioned when we would do the ceremony?"

"Yeah. Would we do it in secret? I'd really like at least Ron and Hermione to be there, my family should see me on the happiest day of my life, Draco."

Draco smiled sadly. "I understand. Maybe I jumped the wand a little. You're right, we should talk some more about this before we make it official. There's no rush. I just wanted to see if you would want to…" Draco looked away as he trailed off. He looked a little sad. Harry gently turned him back in his direction.

"Am I allowed to ask?" Harry asked, becoming sad and worried again. Draco shook his head, breathing deeply. Harry nodded. "I trust you, Draco. Don't make me regret it." Draco smiled sadly and hugged Harry.

"Do you want to go ahead and exchange Christmas presents?" Harry asked. Draco tensed.

"I'm really sorry, Harry. Your gift hasn't come yet. I thought I would have enough time, but it's not going to get here before the new year. Can we do it after Christmas?"

"Of course, that's fine. Maybe this year we should just send them. It'll be ok if you get a present from your pen pal, right? And with your father not there, will your mother ask who it's from?"

Draco sighed. "I'm staying at Hogwarts over the break."

"Really? Again? Why aren't you going home?"

Draco avoided his eyes. "I wanted to get some work done. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Harry closed his eyes.

"I can't ask…right?" Draco nodded, looking simultaneously bothered and relieved. Harry sighed too.

"Now that I know, at least some of it, I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't lie to me. I know when you're doing it." Draco winced and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

"I'll go along with this for now. But, can I still try and figure it out?" Draco looked at Harry for a long moment.

"You wouldn't be you if you didn't try to figure it out. You just can't try to make me talk about it, because I really can't."

"Alright, alright. I'll try not to bring it up again." He was still hurt that Draco wasn't telling him what he wanted to know, but maybe there was more going on here than Harry suspected. "And I'll stay with you."

"You will not. You will go home and see Sirius, and message me on the bracelets." Draco said haughtily.

"I don't want you to be alone on Christmas. Sirius has Remus, Mary, and his friends. It'll be fine."

"It will not. Sirius would be crushed if you don't come home for Christmas, he's mentioned it the last ten times you've talked to him. Most of my friends are staying, I won't be alone." Harry looked at him doubtfully, but Draco kissed the slight pout away.

* * *

Christmas day dawned brightly, sun casting rays over the snow, gleaming reflections back. Draco didn't see it, however, as he stayed in bed. He knew that when he got out of his bed, he would be really and truly alone. In his bed, he could pretend that his year mates were in the room, still sleeping, or moving about quietly, or waiting for him in the Common Room. He could pretend that the castle was full, bustling with students everywhere, and that Harry was somewhere amongst them. He could pretend that he didn't have anything to do on the threat of his and other's lives. He could pretend that he was at home, in the manor, and he was young, and when he went downstairs there would be hundreds of presents under the tree, with his mother and father sipping tea in their silk pajamas. It was the only time they ever let their hair down.

His reality couldn't be much bleaker. The manor was overridden by Death Eaters and Dark Lords. His father was in prison and his mother… He was unlikely to ever see them again, much less relaxed. He wondered if he would ever even get his manor back. He did have a task, set to him by the Dark Lord, and he would have to work on it all day. He didn't have any presents at the foot of his bed, or anywhere else. He was one of the only people in this school. Harry was at his own home, completely ignorant to Draco's plight. Well that wasn't true. His boyfriend was trying desperately to work out what was wrong with Draco, and Draco loved him for it. He just hated him for it, just a little bit, too. He hated lying to Harry much more.

Because it would not be good if Harry found out about Draco's, and Voldemort's, plans. Draco wasn't sure he would tell Harry about the plans if he could. It was all so grisly, and Draco was beginning to realize that he might not be able to go through with it. He just didn't have the heart. He wasn't sure he would deserve Harry if things went the way the Dark Lord wanted it to. He really hoped his own plan worked, but it was looking more and more like it might fail.

He allowed a small sob to escaped him, suddenly glad he was alone. He didn't understand how everything had gone to hell, and so quickly. Everything had seemed fine at the end of last year, then just as quickly as they had seemed heavenly, they went to hell. He couldn't imagine how they could be any worse.

With a shake of the head to clear his thoughts, he pulled the curtains to his bed and gasped. There were two presents at the foot of this bed. They were both badly wrapped, so Draco knew without checking the tag they were from Harry. He felt like such a baby, but he teared up. Maybe there was something to Harry's pet name for him.

He picked up the larger of the two, wiping his eye. He would normally tear into the paper energetically, rip it to shreds to find the gift inside. Harry always took his time, opening the presents slowly. Draco had never understood why, until now. It was so satisfying, slowly revealing each little part, building the suspense. When he uncovered the gift, he realized he had never appreciated a gift more, even if it was a stupid pair of boxer shorts.

They were black, silky, with silver writing across the bum, saying, "This Arse Is Taken." Draco snorted and laughed at it, wiping away more tears. There was no way he could wear them in front of his dorm mates, but he could see himself prancing around in front of Harry, teasing him deliciously.

He changed into them, admiring himself in the mirror across the room before he turned to the other present. He opened it even slower than he had the first, savoring the anticipation. He even closed his eyes as he pulled the paper away, waiting for the last second. It was a small box, with a note on top.

_Merry Christmas, my love._

_I knew you'd go for the big present first, you spoiled rotten gorgeous bastard. I know we said we'd exchange gifts after I got back, but I wanted you to at least have something, don't worry, I'll have your real gift when you give me mine. I just thought I'd get you back for my birthday with a bit of a gag. Although, what's in this box may or may not be a bit of a bonus gift._

_I know I promised I wouldn't bring up what I'm not supposed to bring up, but this is slightly related. I get the feeling that your mother is involved, or at least that you're worried about her. So, I got you these. It was last minute, so I couldn't get them to you before now, but I hope the sentiment is the same. I thought about just sending one to your mother, but just in case it caused trouble, I decided not to. I know you know what these are, so just send one to whoever you'd like to talk to, and I won't ask who it is._

_Two years ago, you sent me something that you weren't sure I'd like, but you did anyway just in case I would. I send you these in the same hope._

_Anyway, I wish I was there with you now. We haven't spent Christmas together since fourth year. I think I'll remember that night for the rest of my life. It was so romantic, and not at all girly. I loved being in your strong arms all night. Merlin, this is making me miss you already. I can't wait until we're married, and we have nothing to do on Christmas but open presents, sip hot cocoa, and cuddle by the fire under a warm blanket._

_I love you,_

_Happy Christmas,_

_Your Harry_

He really was a baby. He was in tears, and he held the letter close to his chest. He sniffed it carefully and inhaled Harry's faint scent. He missed Harry so much. This was just what he needed for today.

Draco opened the top of the box and gasped. A pair of Two-Way Mirrors were pillowed inside. He hadn't seen or talked to his mother since the summer, and now he had a way to. He wasn't even sure he ever would again. He shook his head to clear it again.

He folded the wrapping paper, very relieved he hadn't ripped it. Then, he got dressed before he raced to the girl's dormitories. All the girls had gone home for the holidays, and he didn't run into anyone as he entered the sixth-year girl's dorms. He figured out which bed belonged to Pansy quickly, the embroidered double P's on everything was a giveaway. He rooted through her bedside drawer until he found what he was looking for.

On the way back to his own dorms, he broke the mirror that was in Pansy's compact, hoping it wouldn't give him seven years of bad luck, because he certainly didn't need that. When he was back in the dorm, he carefully traced the compact around the larger two-way mirror and made several cuts with his wand. A permanent sticking charm later, the two-way mirror was in place of a compact. It was not his best spell work, but it would have to do.

He wrapped it up a little hurriedly, but it was up to his typical standards by the time he was done. He started on a note. "Pippin!" He called out, and one of his family's house elves popped up in front of him.

"Master Draco!" The little creature said with a bow. "What can Pippin be doings for Master?" He suspected the Death Eaters weren't treating the elves well, but there was nothing he could do for them currently.

"How are things at home, Pippin?" He asked, dreading the answer. Pippin's ears drooped, and her face clouded.

"Oh, Master Draco!" She said. "Pippin wishes bad wizards would leave poor Mistress and Manor alone! When will Master be coming home?" Things must be very bad if they wanted Draco's Father home.

"I don't know, Pippin. I will be back by the summer, but I'm not sure when the bad wizards will be leaving. You mustn't speak this way in front of them, you realize?"

Pippin nodded, ears flapping. "Yes, Master Draco! Pippin will not!"

"Good. I need you to give this to my mother. It's a Christmas present." Pippin's ears drooped again. She shook her head sadly.

"Oh, Master Draco. You must be knowing House elves not allowed near Mistress! Pippin is not being able to get through the wards!"

"I know, Pippin," Draco said, as he finished up his note. "Give it to whoever is on guard duty to give to her. It's alright if they don't allow her to have it, this is a long shot anyway." Pippin nodded dutifully, took the package and departed.

Her departure masked the pop of another departure, so it was a surprise when Draco turned back to his bed, only to see a silver tray, decked out with all his favorite breakfast foods and a single red rose in a thin silver vase. The cutlery was all silver, and it made quite the ensemble. Draco picked up the note on the side and swooned.

_I know how much you hate getting out of bed, so I bribed Dobby to give this to you. Happy Christmas._

_I love it,_ Draco typed into his bracelet. _All my presents._ He picked up the chocolate éclair first and moaned as he took a bite. He hadn't had one in such a long time, and it was divine.

Y_ou deserve the world_, came the reply a couple minutes later. Draco smiled. Harry was an angel. He had done his best not to lie to Harry, but he didn't feel good about the omissions, either. He didn't deserve anything, certainly not someone like Harry. Still, he knew he was a selfish person, and he couldn't give him up for anything. The world was absolutely cruel, but his world was Harry, who was perfect.

He was done with his breakfast when the mirror he had put next to him and couldn't help glancing at every few seconds began to ripple, then reveal his Mother's pale and shallow, yet happier-than-usual face.

"Draco! My darling son, is it really you?"

"Mother!" Draco cried, feeling turbulent emotions swirling around inside him. "Are you alright? Is it safe to talk?"

"Yes! They leave me alone most of the time, now you're gone. I think they only kept me locked up because they feared you would try to move me. I'm even allowed in other parts of the house, now. You are making progress, are you not?"

"I made two attempts already, one failed, one has yet to come to fruition. Any day now, you will be free." She smiled at him tightly.

"Perhaps further effort is required." Draco winced, but tried to hide it. She knew he was lying, and knew he knew she knew.

"I have another plan, just in case the other one doesn't work. I assure you, I will not fail." Liar, his own mind betrayed him. His false plans he knew would fail would not work, but his main one, to get her out, had promise. Not much, and what was there was waning, but it was all he had.

"I know my son won't." It was a dig, implying he was not her son if he failed. His stomach clenched.

"Are they treating you well?"

"As well as I would expect. How is your schooling?" This was difficult.

"Couldn't be much better." They were both lying, and they both knew it.

There was silence as they stared at each other. He hadn't noticed this earlier, but there were several small lines coming out of the corner of her eyes. He had never seen wrinkles on her.

"I love you, Mother." He wasn't sure what made him say it. He hadn't said it to her for a long time. His Mother raised her brows, then her face softened.

"I love you too, my son." She looked up. "I hear noises outside. I must go, lest they find this. I'll contact you again when I can." Her face disappeared. Draco buried his face in his arms. He had to do this, he had to. He really did love her.

* * *

Narcissa hid the mirror behind her back as her bedroom door opened without a knock. How crass of him.

"What was that noise?" The ugly bearded face asked, eyes narrowed as he took in the room.

"Well, I am just so lonely in here by my lonesome, I have had to resort to conversing with myself." She said bitingly. The man snorted.

"Keep it down, or I'll come in here and converse with you," he said threateningly. She nodded, nose in the air, and he departed again. There were times when she needed comfort, so she made her way gracefully to her vanity. She did not rush, she hastened.

She sat delicately on the pillowed bench and pulled herself forward. She took a moment to apply some powder to her face. She was not satisfied with the products the Death Eaters had supplied her with, they didn't get the job done. Still, she'd cut her face off before displaying it unless it was perfect. She would normally need her wand for that, but it had been taken from her. She double checked the mole on her chin was completely covered before opening the center drawer.

Inside were various utensils for various things. She picked up the antique mirror and held it up, admiring her face once again before looking around suspiciously. Seeing there was still no one there, she pulled on the handle, revealing a long, thin, jewel-encrusted, silver knife.

She ran her thumb against the dull side of the blade. Soon. She would give her son time. She doubted that he would succeed, but it was not a slight against him. More and more, she was becoming thankful for who her son was turning out to be. At one point, she would have hated having a son who would not do what was expected of him, no matter what it was he was expected to do. Now, she knew he wouldn't, but she was giving him time to come up with a plan he could execute.

It was hard to believe it was Christmas.

* * *

Harry looked up from his bracelet, blushing. Sirius was teasing him about it, but he couldn't help looking, waiting for a reply. He was obsessed with Draco, he knew. He didn't need the constant reminders.

"Come on, Harry, open up another one." Sirius had overdone it with the gifts again. It was incredible having so many presents under the tree. It truly felt like a real family Christmas.

They were going over to the Weasleys later for a Christmas get together, but Harry was unsure he'd be able to finish opening presents by that point. So far, he had gotten more clothes, furniture for his room, and a bicycle. Sirius had said he knew he wouldn't use it much but that every kid needed one in their life. Harry never had one, the Dursleys had said he could walk.

"You really didn't have to do all this, Sirius." He said as he slowly opened another present. It was a packet of underwear. Harry groaned theatrically.

"You really don't have to open presents that slowly, Harry. We're going to be here for days unless you put some effort into it. Here, let me show you how it's done." Harry felt somewhat bad that Sirius had less presents than Harry, but he knew Sirius had intended that.

Sirius grabbed a present from his pile and positively ripped the wrapping into tiny pieces in his haste to get to the present. At least Draco did his delicately. This was almost gore.

"See? It's fun. Just try it." Harry sighed, but did use that method for the next present. It was kind of fun. "You're a kid, Harry, you don't have to worry about the mess." Sirius scolded as Harry tried to clean up the little pieces of wrappings. "Drop it," he added seriously.

Harry did so, and continued unwrapping. He used his method but did pick it up a bit. They did have a party to get to.

Sirius refused to clean up the mountain of wrapping paper in the living room, instead rushing Harry outside. "I don't know that this is a good idea." Harry said doubtfully as he sat on his new bike.

"Safety first!" Sirius said as he plopped a helmet on Harry's head. Harry groaned but buckled it in. After quidditch, he didn't need another concussion.

Sirius put a hand on the handle bar his other arm wrapped around his back. "I'm going to help you at first, and when you get your balance, I'll let go. Now, you have to get some speed, or you'll fall over. Put your feet on the pedals and make a motion like you're walking. Come on, Harry. If you feel like you're going to fall, just put your feet down. Not now, if you feel like you're going to fall. You steer like this, good. You've got it, Kiddo!" They were moving, and as shaky as Harry felt, he had to admit it was kind of fun. They made several big circles, in front of the garage, then Sirius instructed Harry to go straight down the driveway.

"Don't let go," Harry kept saying.

"I won't. Not until you're ready." Sirius repeated patiently.

They picked up speed, Sirius running to keep up and then he was yelling "go, Harry, go!" only it sounded like it was further away. Harry's bike wobbled as he looked behind him to see Sirius waving and jumping from behind him down the road. Harry let out a single, "Ha!" and focused on what was in front of him. He picked up speed. This was fun, almost as good as flying.


	13. year 6 Part III

"I'm just worried." Harry told Mr. Weasley and Lupin. "Is there anything the Order can do?" They were in the Weasley's living room, and Harry had gotten through the added information he had gotten from Draco's confrontation with Snape, very carefully.

"Harry, I think it's very unlikely that Draco Malfoy is a Death Eater." Remus said reasonably. "He is only sixteen."

"I'm not saying he's a fully-fledged Death Eater, I'm saying he's doing something for Voldemort." Mr. Weasley winced at the name.

"Even so, Death Eaters consider it a high honor to do something for Voldemort, he doesn't trust his plans with just anyone."

"Are we still on this?" Sirius asked as he took a seat next to Remus, who shifted. "I don't understand why you're so concerned, Harry. I thought you hated Malfoy?" he said pointedly. He thought that Harry was playing a dangerous game, being publicly concerned about Draco. He had become rather fond of Harry's boyfriend and didn't want anything happening to him.

"If someone is in trouble, I want to help them. A boyhood rivalry is hardly a good reason to let someone fall to the dark side." Harry said passionately.

The three adults exchanged fond looks. Harry sighed. They weren't taking him seriously.

"Why don't you talk to him, Harry?" Mr. Weasley said. "If you can put aside your differences, he might very well listen to you. If something is going on, he's much more likely to talk to a peer than someone in an Order he sees against him."

"Malfoy would never talk to me. Can't you check into Borgin and Burkes, see what was purchased?" Harry asked desperately. The three exchanged looks again.

"I can do that." Mr. Weasley finally said. "I may not be able to find who purchased what, but items sold will be simple enough."

"Thank you!" said Harry gratefully. Mr. Weasley nodded and got up to get more of what Harry suspected was spiked eggnog.

"So," Sirius said, putting an arm around Remus, "tell us about Snivellus teaching Defense." Remus ducked under his arm and put some space between them. Harry still wasn't sure what was going on between the two of them. Sirius was still dating Mary MacDonald, but there was undeniable attraction between Remus and Sirius. It wasn't any of his business, but he wanted his father's friends to at least get along.

Harry did tell them all about Snape and was vindicated by their reactions.

* * *

"Missed you so much," Draco whispered between kisses. Harry made a noise of agreement as he finished getting Draco's shirt off. He went for the exposed skin he had uncovered, sucking hickeys where his shirt would cover them.

Draco moaned his encouragement as he pushed Harry back further into their room. They tumbled into the piles of cushions on the floor and took a break from their fevered kisses to laugh. Draco threw a leg over Harry as he finished unbuttoning his shirt but didn't make a move to pull it off. Instead, he put his hand under it, feeling Harry's skin and toned muscle with the fabric on the other side of his hand.

"I absolutely love your muscles." Draco murmured against Harry's warm skin. Harry grunted. "They're so perfect. Not too big, hard, perfect. Ugh, I love you, you muscled, toned, gorgeous man." Harry whined. His movements were jerky because he was so excited and jumpy.

Some time later, and Harry had absolutely no idea how much later, they both lay panting, not moving from their views. It was a rather good view. Draco sat up, turned, and fell back against Harry, toe-to-toe. They intertwined their legs and Harry wrapped his arms around his Draco.

Harry used his own wand to conjure a blanket and draped it over the both of them. "Good?" Harry asked, not feeling like using more words. Draco hummed positively, apparently not wanting the same.

"Can we take a nap?" Draco asked sleepily. Harry kissed his neck and set an alarm for a couple hours later.

Harry came to awareness slowly. There was an annoying beeping noise, and he silenced it with his wand. It was his wand, so that worked out. Draco was so beautiful in his sleep. His mouth was open, and he was snoring. Harry kissed his nose and Draco hummed. "Five more minutes." He muttered/demanded. Harry was powerless to deny him.

While he was waiting, he watched Draco sleep. Creepiness aside, he loved doing that. Draco was like an angel when he was asleep. Then when he was awake, he opened his mouth, and that image was destroyed.

Not truly, just when he was being snarky. Which was when he was awake, basically.

Harry started kissing his face, all over. Draco hummed, moving his face away as he slowly awakened. "Stop." He muttered, then gave Harry more room to move to his neck. Harry moved on to it and kissed every spare bit of skin he could find.

"I have a present for you." That woke Draco up plenty.

"Hmm. I like presents." Draco mumbled as he joined the land of the living. Harry kissed him. He loved him so much. "I like that too," he said, as he licked his lips.

Harry sat up and went to get his badly wrapped present. He had foregone being embarrassed about it.

"Here you are," he said as he sat and handed it to Draco. Draco opened it slowly, and Harry watched with a raised eyebrow. It was a broom servicing kit. Harry had gotten much use out of his and figured Draco need one as well.

"Thanks, Sweetie." Draco said, smiling. "Here's yours," he got up and got Harry's present. It was a one-year subscription to Seeker Magazine, along with the first issue.

"Thank you, Babe!" Harry leafed through the magazine, cataloging an article he needed to read about wind currents.

"I'm glad you like it, Sweetheart. I'm honestly starting to run out of ideas for you." Harry laughed.

"Well, I've got plenty for you, and I love anything you give me." They exchanged a sweet kiss.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

Harry had received a task from Dumbledore, relating to the lessons. They had seen a memory of Riddle asking Slughorn about how many horcruxes was reasonable. The memory was corrupt, and it was Harry's task to get the full memory. He failed the next day, when he simply asked for the memory from Slughorn. He was going to have to get creative.

He didn't have any ideas, and the weeks went on. Draco was definitely feeling the effects of the year. He looked worse than ever and Harry was definitely worried for him.

One day, Harry got a bad feeling deep in his gut. Something was very wrong. Something with Draco.

He had no idea where he was, except that he somewhat did. He didn't need to look at the Marauder's Map to know where Draco was. He wandered, but with purpose. He stood outside the door for a moment before opening the door fully.

Inside was Draco, against the far wall, sobbing. He didn't look up when Harry entered the bathroom, nor when he locked the door. He did when Harry came closer, shifting away and telling him to go away. Harry didn't.

Instead, he came closer, slowly, as if Draco was a wounded animal in need of help. "Draco," he whispered. He had no idea what was wrong, but it was something big. Draco shifted away from him, too weak to offer any real obstacle.

Harry came around behind him, pulling his back against his chest. Draco really needed him. Draco protested for a moment before turning to curl around him. "Harry," He whimpered. "I can't…" Draco started hyperventilating.

"Shh." Harry whispered, tightening his hold onto Draco. "You don't need to explain anything to me. Just let it out and let me hold you." Draco let out a high-pitched hysterical sob before throwing his arms around Harry, who gently rocked him back and forth.

They sat there, on the dirty bathroom floor, for some unknown amount of time. Harry, holding Draco, rocking him gently, as Draco sobbed.

"She's all I had," Draco whispered into Harry's shoulder. Harry wasn't sure he was meant to hear it.

* * *

***** Last June, after disembarking the Hogwarts Express**

Draco walked silently, the only sounds were from Crabbe and Goyle Seniors, one in front, one behind them. It was absolutely disheartening to be led about in his own home. The main parlor was where they were headed, he could tell by the layout. There were Death Eaters everywhere, some were standing guard, others joined their rag-tag group as they moved further and further into the Manor.

There were snickers, and sidelong glances, and meaningful looks. There was not one sympathetic look, glance, or face. The train of Death Eaters, with Draco aboard, came to a stop at the door to the parlor. Goyle pushed past him to take one door while Crabbe took the other, with sinister smiles, they pushed them open. "Enter." Said a high, cold-pitched voice, and Draco felt his insides freeze. Nevertheless, he hid thoughts of Harry behind his occlumency shields, giving him strength, and moved forward into the room.

A figure was standing in front of a roaring fire, facing it, away from Draco. The Death Eaters circled around him, some pushing Draco into the center of the ring.

"Hello, Mr. Malfoy," The high pitched, cold voice said, and Voldemort turned. It took everything Draco had not to scream, not to run away, not to react in any way that would be deemed unfit. Harry's description didn't do him justice.

"Pleased to meet you, as well, my Lord." He said, with a respectful bow. Voldemort smiled.

"Is that so? I've heard rumors about you, little Malfoy. I'm sure they are unwarranted, due to your cooperativeness. This is a very lovely home you have here. It will do well as my headquarters."

"Whatever my Lord desires." Draco said, feeling sick and hiding it behind his shields.

"That is the correct answer. I have another task for you, Mr. Malfoy." There were titters around the room.

"Whatever my Lord desires." Draco repeated, with another bow, keeping his eyes on the carpet at Voldemort's feet.

"Well, with such an accommodating attitude, I almost feel bad about your mother's predicament." With that, he waved his wand, and Draco looked up in surprised.

"Mother!" He broke his carefully crafted display to call out as soon as he saw her. He was grabbed on either side by masked Death Eaters, he couldn't tell who they were, nor did he care.

His mother had been summoned, and she was standing in an over-large bird cage. Length wise, it was a couple inches longer than she was, width wise, it was just big enough for her to raise her hands to grip the beams of metal. She was gagged, but her hands were free, though one wrist had a bronze design. Her eyes were narrowed in disdain. The cage floated, drifting up and down lightly.

"Perhaps a reward is required. Are you familiar with the muggle saying, 'the carrot and stick approach'? The carrot refers to a reward upon completion of a task, the stick to encourage completion by helpfully inserting a punishment with failure. It is derived from a donkey, which is nothing like you, of course." There were mutters and small titters and Voldemort smirked. Draco felt like never smirking again. "In this case, your reward for completing your task is your mother being set free, your encouragement is her death, should you fail."

Draco closed his eyes as the grips on his arms tightened and laughs echoed around the room. This was a nightmare. Any moment he was going to awaken in his own bed, either at the manor or at Hogwarts, it didn't matter, as long as he was awoken soon.

"What is my task, My Lord?" Draco asked, not daring to look at him.

"Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself, young Malfoy?" Voldemort asked, making his way towards Draco. Draco prayed he wouldn't get too close.

"Wouldn't you like to officially join our ranks first, then you may seek your reward, a task set unto you by me?"

Draco took a deep breath. If he phrased this wrong, it could mean the end of his life. "My Lord, I am a Hogwarts student. I have heard various rumors, all pointing to heightened security next year at Hogwarts. I believe I would be better fitted if I were an undercover agent. Besides, it would do well to serve you should you need another spy."

"I see. I have heard rumors from some of my more loyal servants that you would be… shall we say, opposed to receiving a mark." Draco opened his mouth, but Voldemort held up his hand and Draco silenced. "It is alright, young Master Malfoy. It is because of your misgivings that I have set up this state of affairs, for you." There were tittering's again. "Should you succeed at the task I am giving you, I shan't care if you want the Mark or not. Think of that as another carrot, should you succeed."

Draco waited, swallowing his hatred.

"I am tasking you with a very coveted mission. Many of my Death Eaters have failed. I expect that you shall be better than all of them. You shall succeed where others have failed. Do I make myself clear?" Draco waited. "You shall kill Albus Dumbledore."

* * *

***** The Present**

"He put this spell on me, in place of the Dark Mark," Draco told Harry, still wrapped up in his arms on the floor of the bathroom. "He said it was a bit of an experiment of his. Said it was so he could keep an eye on me. Said it would poison me, and then her, if I did one of three things: talk about my task or her, fail, or try to move her from the manor."

*** Twenty Minutes Previously

"Draco," came his mother's voice from inside his pocket. Classes were over, so he ducked into an unused classroom to answer the mirror's call.

"Mother," he said in greeting. Her face was the worst he had ever seen it. It was shallow, white, and devoid of makeup. He was incredulous to see she had a mole on her chin. It didn't rob her of her beauty, but it certainly made her look like a different person. This was not the mother he remembered.

"I don't have much time," she said. "Things are getting worse here, mi amore. There is no more time. The Dark Lord is becoming restless. I have bought you as long as I possibly could."

"Mother," Draco interrupted, "I don't know what you mean."

"Do not interrupt me. I will not have my son forgetting his manners when I am gone." Draco felt his face whiten as terror gripped his insides.

"Mother, I promise, I have things under control! I'm about to make another attempt on Dumbledore's life! I have—!"

"You shall do no such thing. I will not have my son becoming a murderer. I have been doing some serious thinking. I have had nothing but time these last few months. I have decided that your talents shall not be wasted on a madman's dream. I have been observing, more and more over the last several months, and I have determined that is nothing more than what the Dark Lord is. He is insane, mad, and sick, Draco. He wants things that are impossible. I will not have you serving him. I hope you will take my sacrifice, and fight against him. I want you to join the side of the light, Draco, or flee and hide, to live another day."

"But, Mother—"

"I said, don't interrupt me. I love you, my son. I know I have never been the most exemplary of mothers, but I hope that what I am about to do shall atone for everything I have done to you. I shall not be used to be my son's demise."

"Mother, I wouldn't have anyone else as my mother. You are incredible as a mother, and a more outstanding pureblood matron will never be found elsewhere. Don't do whatever it is you plan to do."

Narcissa's face softened as she looked at Draco's worried face. "I appreciate the sentiment, my wonderful son. I'm afraid things have already been set in motion. Don't let my sacrifice go to waste. Live life to the fullest, find someone to love, and become the noblest of purebloods your Father and I know you can be. Goodbye, my son."

"Mother, wait. Wait!"

"I love you." Her face swirled into a cloud of smoke, "No matter what else I have done, I hope you remember that." Then she disappeared.

"Mother!" Draco shouted. There was no answer. "Mother," he called again, anyway, knowing there would be no answer. He rubbed his eyes, trying to figure out why he couldn't see. He needed to get to her. There was no other option.

He started running, the door banging against the wall as he exited. Students ducked out of the way as he stormed passed, he pushed the ones who didn't out of the way. He made it several corridors, he was alone, and then, there was pain on his arm, where the serpentine spell resided most of the time.

Voldemort had placed an experimental tracking spell on him. It was imperfect, still in the testing stages, and he was the perfect guinea pig. It was a snake, or the outline of one, that would slither around the skin of his body and listen. It had been instructed to catch any phrases related to if Draco talked about his mother, killing Dumbledore, or that Voldemort had any plan at all. "Not to worry," Voldemort had told Draco, "your social and romantic life shall not suffer. It cannot hear anything else. It is an experiment, and once I have perfected it, it shall become the original spell for any Dark Lord wanting his followers to follow tasks set unto them." The snake was instructed to bite the skin of the one it was attached to if he didn't follow his orders. It was connected to another serpentine collar around Narcissa's wrist.

If Narcissa was moved from the Manor, Draco told someone about the plan, or Draco did not complete his mission, the serpentine collar would inject poison both into Narcissa and Draco. It would have been perfect if it detected any sort of wrong-doing on Draco's part, but then, he wasn't sure he would have lived if he had been forced to not talk to Harry.

As he stopped running down the corridor, he looked at his wrist, where he had last seen the serpent. It was smoking, the red, angry lines that made up the snake slowly disintegrating. Draco had a wild moment where he thought it meant he was being poisoned, but then he realized what it must really mean.

He ducked into the closest room, which thankfully was a bathroom, and retched into a toilet. When there was nothing else left to give, he turned, not sure where he was going, and fell to the floor, curling in on himself near the wall. He had failed. His mother was dead.

* * *

***** Present**

"She sacrificed herself for me, Harry," Draco sobbed as his story came to a shaky conclusion. "I didn't even know she didn't follow the Dark Lord. But she did something, she killed herself, and I'm free. The spell has detached. I don't, I can't—" He fell into more sobs and Harry tightened his grip on him. He wasn't entirely sure what had happened based on Draco's sporadic retelling, interrupted constantly by tears. Now was not the time to question Draco, however. Now was the time to give Draco all the love he deserved.

He knew, in a way, what it was like to lose a mother, and he never wanted anyone to experience it, least of all Draco. He knew that Draco and his mother weren't exactly close, they had a lot of issues between them, but she was his mother. Draco would do anything for her. He loved her.

"I can't believe she's gone. There's no other explanation. She died, Harry, she died to free me, so I could live, so I wouldn't have to kill Dumbledore, or follow anyone else's orders. She said she wanted me to join the light side. I don't understand. I just don't understand." Draco whimpered. Harry kissed the top of his head, still rocking him.

Draco gripped Harry's robes, needing something to hang on to. Something to ground him, because his despair was washing him away.

"She loved you." Harry finally said, hoping this was the right thing to say.

Draco cried a little harder. "She did. She really, really did. I didn't know how much. She never really said. She was a woman of few words, the way a good pureblood wife should be, I guess. She always was the model of a 'good pureblood wife'. I just can't believe she's gone. I'm never going to see her again, Harry, and it's all my fault. I should have tried harder, or done something right away, figured out a way to tell you about it. It's all my fault."

"Draco, she loved you. She wouldn't want you blaming yourself. You, and she, were both put in an impossible situation with no good outcome. She did what she thought she had to do, just as you did."

"I never would have killed Dumbledore," Draco told him, as if the thought had suddenly occurred to him. "I don't want you thinking that. I did make attempts, but I knew he'd detect the magic in the necklace. I just needed Voldemort to see that I'm trying. I had hoped he would let my mother go when he saw that it was impossible but…"

"He meant for you to fail." Harry finished for him. It wasn't that hard to work out. "You are punishment for your father failing his own mission. He never intended for you to kill Dumbledore, he planned for you to die trying." Draco looked up at Harry, dawning realization lighting his face, before it crumpled again.

"There was nothing I could do." He whispered, Harry figured he wasn't meant to hear it. "She saved me." He whispered again. Harry pulled Draco's head down to his shoulder. His face needed cleaning, so Harry conjured a handkerchief and gently cleaned him. Draco made no effort to stop him, didn't even react. "That bastard! He killed her! Harry, you had better kill him and kill him good, do you hear me?" Draco suddenly yelled. Harry quickly cast a silencing charm on the door.

"Son of a bitch killed my mother! This can't keep going on, Harry. I know you're scared, but you have to kill him. Do you understand me?" He grabbed the front of Harry's robes and pulled them close so their noses were almost touching. Harry looked into Draco's grief-stricken eyes and had an epithetic moment. He would have to kill Voldemort. He knew this, but it had never hit him until just then. It was something on his bucket list, that he would have to accomplish at some point before he died, but it was far off into the future. He was still a stupid kid, he didn't have what it takes to kill a dark lord. He would have to figure it out, though. It was coming, and soon.

"I will," Harry promised Draco as well as himself. This seemed to calm Draco. He curled back in to Harry's side. His sobs had quietened, he seemed to have hit the stage where he was mostly numb. He was staring at the bathroom floor, but Harry figured he was seeing something else. Something was eating at him, but now was not the time.

"Come on," Harry whispered to Draco, nudging him lightly. Draco moved away from Harry slightly but didn't get up. Harry stood and offered him a hand. Draco stared at it for a minute before taking it and heaving himself up. Harry told him to wash his hands and they both did so mechanically. Harry got out his invisibility cloak and covered both of them with it. He dismantled the charms he had put on the door and led Draco to the Room of Requirement.

It was slightly awkward moving with Draco so obviously not wanting to, but they finally managed to make it up. Harry called forth a comforting room, decked in Slytherin colors, with a bed as the main attraction. It had multiple mattresses, fluffy pillows, soft blankets, and silk sheets. Harry wanted it to be as comforting as possibly possible. There was a black leather couch in front of a fire, but they both ignored it in favor of the bed. Draco rid himself of most of his clothes, then climbed under the covers in his boxers. Harry made sure he was covered and comfortable before calling Dobby.

"Mister Harry Potter! Dobby is so happy to be seeing you! But sir, this room, I is not knowing if this is a good idea—!"

"Thank you, Dobby," Harry interrupted. "I just wanted to see if you could bring us some chocolate eclairs. We're not going to make it to dinner."

"I sees. I would hate for Mister Harry Potter to miss dinner! May Dobby be bringing him and his guest a dinner tray?"

"We probably won't eat it, Dobby, you don't need to do that."

"'Tis no trouble, sir!" Dobby squeaked before popping away. Harry sighed. Draco hadn't moved once since laying down, facing away from Harry.

Harry sat on the side of the bed and slowly removed his shoes and socks. He was unbuttoning his shirt when Dobby popped back into the room.

"Here is Mister Harry Potter's dinner, sir! I also be bringing dessert, as requested. Can Dobby be doing anything else for Mister Harry Potter?"

"No, Dobby, this is great, thank you." Dobby bowed before making his exit. Harry carried both trays over to the bed, placing them in front of Draco before he took off everything but his boxers. He crawled into his side, then took a look at what Dobby had brought.

"I'm not hungry," Draco mumbled from somewhere under blankets and pillows. Harry sighed.

"I know you're not. It's going to taste like sand, but I need you to eat a couple bites." Draco didn't move. "I'm going to keep asking you until you do it." No movement. "Just eat a couple bites of this fresh-baked, warm, gooey chocolate éclair, and I'll stop bothering you." Draco sighed and sat up. Taking small nibbles from the pastry. He ate half of it before realizing it, then put it down in protest.

"Happy?" He asked sarcastically, before laying down again. Harry had a couple bites of treacle tart, but he wasn't hungry either. He placed both plates on the bedside cabinet and scooted closer to Draco. He wasn't sure if Draco wanted space or not.

He was answered when Draco started scooting closer to him, hesitantly as if he wasn't sure he wanted to. That was all the answer Harry needed. He pulled Draco closer to him and the center of the bed, wrapping his arms around him.

Draco relaxed into the cave Harry created with his body. Harry couldn't see his face from that angle, so he settled his head above Draco's. They laid there in silence, listening to the other breathing. Harry occasionally lifted his head to press kissed the side of Draco's face. He could tell that Draco was still awake, eyes wide and staring. "Do you want to talk about her?" Harry asked him quietly. Draco stayed silent.

"Not right now," Draco mumbled just when Harry thought he wouldn't answer. Harry nodded and kissed him a couple times. Draco turned his head slowly, seeking more kisses and Harry granted them. Draco attached his lips to Harry's hungrily. Harry matched his rising passion kiss for kiss but began to feel a little hesitant as Draco broke off to suck on Harry's neck.

Draco had been desperate before, but not like this. Harry was worried he was taking his grief for his mother out in an unhealthy way. "Slow down, baby." Harry mumbled.

"Why?" Draco muttered against Harry's neck. "I need you." Harry whimpered.

"Baby, please, stop for a minute." Draco had been sucking on Harry's chest, but he paused momentarily. "Maybe we should calm down."

"I don't want to be calm. I just want to lose myself for a minute. Come on, let's lose ourselves in each other." He started kissing what he could reach of Harry's chest.

"Babe." Harry said, "this isn't healthy. It's making me uncomfortable." Draco stopped then, to glare at Harry.

"I see. I give you anything you need, any time you want it, and now that I need something, you won't do it."

"It's not like that Draco. God, I love you, I just want—"

"It's always what you want, never what I want!"

"Draco, please!"

"I never get what I want! I hate this, I hate it! Fuck—!" Draco broke down, sobbing hysterically. Harry pulled him into his arms. "Why? Why, Harry why? Why did she have to die?" Draco pushed against him before collapsing, boneless. Harry caught him and gently laid him down on the bed, not removing his arms from around him.

Draco cried again, and Harry held him. He felt a few tears burning at his eyes but didn't want to take anything away from Draco. He was feeling the loss of his own parents in a way he hadn't before. They had always been dead, for as long as he could remember, there was never a real moment of what Draco was experiencing.

Just when Harry thought Draco was calming, more sobs erupted. Harry rubbed his back and kissed his head. He was a little out of his depth. He wasn't quite sure what to do for Draco, he wondered if Draco had these moments when Harry was upset or if he knew exactly what to do every time. It felt like it was the latter, but Harry had a feeling it was the former.

Finally, blessedly, Draco's sobs quieted to harsh breathing, then quiet breathing, then soft snoring. It wasn't that Harry didn't want to comfort Draco, but he was very glad this part was over, if it was over. He really hoped that it was. He just didn't want to see Draco go through so much pain. He'd be damned if he made Draco go through it alone, however.

He watched Draco sleep for a while, hoping that he wouldn't wake. Then he curled around Draco's cool body and fell asleep.

Draco didn't feel like talking in the morning, nor throughout the day. Draco didn't go to class or meals, but Harry sent him food through the house elves. Every time Harry did see him, he pushed a piece of parchment with a little note on it, sweet things like "I love you" or "Your face is pretty" but Draco smiled a couple times when he read the notes later. That made things worth it.

When Draco finally felt like talking, it was a surprise to Harry. They sat on their couch and Draco would say something about his mother, then be quiet for a while, then say something else. The stories got longer and longer, and through it out, Harry didn't say a word, letting Draco just speak what he needed to say.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you." Draco made a point of saying.

Harry kissed his hair and said, "I understand."

"Did I tell you everything about my mission?" Draco asked Harry. "I know I wasn't being very clear…"

"Voldemort took your mother, and your manor, and put a spell on her and you. The spell was connected and if you told anyone about having to kill Dumbledore, or tried to move your mother, the snake around your mother's wrist would instantly poison her, and you. If you failed your mission, you both would be poisoned."

"Right," Draco confirmed. "He even forbade the elves from going near her, I guess he thought we might try something anyway, but we don't even know what type of poison he used, so it would've been too late."

"We have to tell Dumbledore." Harry told him. Draco was not fond of the idea. He turned white and began shaking his head back and forth.

"No," he said, "no, no, no, no, no, no." Harry raised an eyebrow as he continued, giving him an unimpressed look. Draco kept denying it, but eventually, he calmed with a heaving sigh. "We have to, don't we?" He asked sullenly. Harry nodded. "I mean, I should go. Alone." Draco continued.

Harry shook his head. "I'll go with you."

"Don't be stupid, Harry." Draco disagreed. "If we both go, Dumbledore will start to suspect something. Nosy old coot is one of the last people we need knowing."

"Why," Harry asked, a little offended on Dumbledore's behalf. He could keep a secret, and he'd probably be pretty understanding to boot.

"Are you kidding? He'd either think I'm trying to trick you to the dark side and try to keep us apart or be so happy his eyes will twinkle the secret away. Or ask how our sex life is." They both shuddered at the add on.

"I can't see Dumbledore asking about that," Harry said, but the point was taken. Draco didn't want anyone knowing, and they both felt safer that way anyway.

"I don't want you to have to go alone," Harry protested weakly one last time. Draco took his hand.

"I appreciate the sentiment," Draco said with a small smile. "This is something I should do on my own anyway."

"Alright." Harry agreed. There was quiet for a little while, then Draco continued with a story about once when his mother found a shoe in her mud bath at the spa they went to every year. Harry laughed at the ending.

He knew Draco was delaying going to Dumbledore's office, but he allowed him a couple minutes. The time to ask Draco about what had been bothering him arrived. "Draco, you said that you made 'attempts,' plural, on Dumbledore. I just knew about the necklace; did you do something else?"

Draco was silent, then took a long deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I put poison in a bottle of Madam Rosmerta's Mulled Mead and sent it to him for Christmas. It's a slow acting poison, so there's plenty of time for an antidote." He added as if that made it ok. Harry was astounded.

"Draco!" He yelled, jumping up. Draco was displaced and looked up at Harry with trepidation. "That is so bad! It doesn't matter if it's slow acting, that was a terrible thing to do! What am I going to do with you?"

Instead of answering or defending himself, Draco looked down, waiting for more beratement. He deserved it, but Harry felt most of the anger drain out of him at the sight. He sighed and took a seat next to him. "I know you were in an impossible situation, and there was nothing else you thought you could do. I wondered how you got the necklace to Katie." Draco winced.

"I imperiused Madam Rosmerta." Harry's jaw dropped.

"Draco! If the Ministry finds out, you could go to Azkaban for the rest of your life! You need to take it off her! And you need to go tell Dumbledore about the mead, right now." Draco bit his lip but nodded. Harry sighed. What was he going to do with Draco?

.

Draco had a bewildered expression on his face when he came back. "How'd it go?" Harry asked, closing the book he had been reading and hiding it from Draco. It was about supporting someone going through bereavement. He had magically obscured the title but didn't want to invite questions he would have to lie to.

Draco shook his head. "I forget how strange Dumbledore is. He offered me a lemon drop as I was trying to tell him why I was there, and then he kept interrupting me to ask about homework and talk about the weather. When I finally got out the full story, he offered me his 'deepest sympathies for my mother' and said he already knew about the rest."

Harry sat stunned. He had asked Dumbledore to check on Draco, he had no idea he actually did it. Finally, someone believed him. "Dumbledore knew?"

"Yes. Said he knew since the summer but couldn't approach me without the spell activating against me." That didn't make sense. Harry didn't tell him until after the school year started.

"How did he find out?" He asked cautiously.

"He told me a little about this "Order of the Phoenix? Know anything about that?" He gave Harry a knowing look and Harry grinned sheepishly. Draco shook his head. "Said he has a spy deep within Voldemort's inner circle but didn't want to tell me who it was."

Harry debated momentarily. "I think it's Snape." Draco reared back.

"Severus? No way. He's definitely loyal to Voldemort. No one's that good an actor. He made an Unbreakable Vow to my mother, to kill Dumbledore should I fail." Harry gave him another sheepish look. "Of course, you know about that. I'll give you this, Potter, you certainly do your homework when it comes to me." They both laughed, and Draco settled back into Harry's arms. Harry wrapped them around him.

"I'm not sure about Snape," Harry admitted. "Dumbledore says he trusts him, and I've been wrong about him before. There's just something about him I don't trust." Draco hummed in thought, then shook his head.

"Thank you." He said suddenly. Harry looked at him, or as much as he could see of his face from that angle. "You have always been an incredible boyfriend, but these last couple weeks, I don't think I would've been ok if it hadn't been for you. I'm still not great, or even good, but I think I'm starting to get better, and most of that is because of you. I love you so much. Thank you." Harry felt his heart constrict then lift.

"I would do anything for you." Harry told him softly. Draco smiled then kissed him slowly.

"I would do anything for you," Draco retorted softly, pushing Harry back into the sofa.

Harry moaned as Draco went for his throat. Draco gave him several open mouthed, hot kisses back and forth across his neck as he unbuttoned his shirt, then moved them lower.

"I love you so much." He whispered.

Draco hummed. "I love you too. You hot, beautiful man."

Harry laughed again, pressing another, longer kiss to Draco's neck.

"Where did you get this one?" Draco asked after a long moment, running his finger along Harry's back. Harry wasn't quite sure how he could see it, but there was a long row of small lines across his shoulder heading downward. Each were uniform, less than centimeters apart.

"Ah. I was pushed down onto a rake. It moved upward with my weight on it, and it dug into my back."

Draco took a breath through his nose. "Who pushed you?"

"Dudley. I was raking the yard and asked why he didn't have to help, he said it was because I had to earn my keep. I threw the rake down and went to go punch him but he well, beat me to the punch." He grinned at the wordplay, but looking up at Draco, he could see he didn't. No one seemed to find the humor of his childhood funny.

He couldn't really blame them.

Draco placed kisses to the side of his head, starting of slow and long, but growing shorter and with more desperation.

Harry was concerned. He felt awful when he realized that Draco was fighting off tears.

He moved so he was facing Draco, pulling him to curl around him. Draco buried his head in Harry's shoulder. "I'm sorry," he gasped through sobs that had slowly over taken him. "I'm so sorry."

"There is nothing to apologize for, Baby. Nothing at all." Draco shook his head against Harry's shoulder.

"Why does life have to be so hard?" Draco demanded. "I'm so tired of having to fight, I don't know how you fucking do it. God, I can't. I'm not cut out for this."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, fear gripping him. Was Draco saying he didn't want to be with Harry anymore?

"I don't have the strength. I'm so weak, and you, god Harry, you are so strong. You deserve someone just as strong as you are."

"Hey!" Harry exclaimed, cutting Draco off from what he was sure would be a very long rant. "You are the strongest person I know, Draco, way stronger than me. I don't know where the hell you're getting this, that you're not strong enough, but I'm here to tell you, you are. No one is my equal like you are, Draco, no one, and I won't have anyone else. Alright? What's gotten into you?"

Draco gave several small chuckles, or they could have been sobs, Harry was upset to realize he wasn't sure. "I was just thinking. You have had to deal with so much shit throughout your life, and you never complain about any of it. I'm just a spoiled little boy with no idea of what reality is actually like. You are so real."

"What we have is real. You are real, you're as real as you could possibly be. I don't care that you grew up as a spoiled brat, you are a good man, and you're fighting the injustices against you much better than anyone else would. I would have been scared shitless and done something stupid if Voldemort tasked me with killing Dumbledore. But you, you went out and made a plan, you didn't roll over and submit, you fought! And I'm so proud of you for that. I love you so much, Baby." Harry cupped his face and kissed him hard.

Draco smiled at him when he pulled back, lip quivering as he bit it. Harry kissed him softly, taking that lip between his own and soothing it with his tongue. Draco whimpered, and pulled back.

"What would I do without you?" He asked as he laid his head against the pillow, looking at Harry with a smile in his eyes now. Harry sighed in relief, happy with Draco's joy.

"I don't know, but you'd be miserable and alone," he teased. Draco chuckled, then leaned forward to kiss Harry lightly.

"Too true." He agreed.

Valentine's Day was dreary, as it had been every year since Harry had been observing it. He glanced over at Draco at his Slytherin table, sipping tea and reading the paper alone. He was looking better than he had been, but still, not like the Slytherin Prince he was used to.

He had arranged a fake detention to explain his disappearance to anyone who cared to find out what he was doing all day and was planning on spending the whole day with Draco. He walked casually to their room, sending a message to Draco to meet him there.

He didn't have to wait that long, but he did finish a big chunk of his book. It had warned him that holidays were hard on people who had just lost someone, and he had a suspicion that Draco might not want to celebrate. He had a plan for every eventuality, even though it was Draco's year to do something for Harry.

Draco entered the room quietly and closed the door slowly, as if he didn't really want to enter the room. Harry smiled at him in a hopefully reassuring way, but Draco grimaced in response.

"Hey, Sweetheart." Draco said. Harry held out his hands and Draco took them both.

"Happy Valentine's. I love you." Harry told him, cautiously but heartfelt.

The corner of Draco's mouth turned up. "I love you too. Happy Valentine's Day." They shared a slow, sweet kiss, and Draco looked at least a bit happier.

"How are you feeling?" Harry asked, sympathetically.

Draco snorted noiselessly. "I should have known you'd know. I forgot about today, Harry. I'm so sorry. The days just kind of blended together. I've been focused on recovering, and I thought it was still January, I guess. I can't believe I did this to you."

Harry kissed the tip of his nose. "I thought you might forget. And I'm not worried about that. I forgot two years ago, remember? It's alright, if I was concerned, I would have reminded you. Come sit down." They sat on the sofa, sideways, with Draco leaning back between Harry's legs. "I have a couple of things planned for today, and we can do whatever you want to do. If you want, we can sneak into Hogsmeade and I can buy you all the chocolate you can eat, and we can eat it all day. I ordered more spa supplies, so we can do that again, if you would like to do that. We can go to the Room of Requirement, and spend all day in bed, ordering food from the House elves. Or, we can stay here and do absolutely anything or nothing. What do you feel like?" Draco didn't respond.

Harry sat up a bit, hoping to see Draco's face. He pushed it towards him with a finger. It was screwed up in an attempt to hold back tears. Draco turned until he was facing Harry and buried himself in Harry's embrace. "I don't deserve you," Draco cried into Harry's neck.

"You deserve better," Harry told him, tightening his hold. That really set Draco off, and Harry mentally cursed himself. He rocked Draco side to side until he calmed.

"I'm sorry. I've been a bit emotional lately." Draco said. Harry nodded.

"I understand. I'm here for you, for whatever you need." Draco bit his lip, and Harry kissed it out. "What do you feel like doing?"

Draco hummed in thought. "I just want to be held by you. For a while. Then, I want to do spa day again. I think my mother would like that." Harry nodded and kissed his head. They repositioned so Draco was in front of Harry, his back to Harry's chest.

They laid there quietly talking a little, but just enjoying being together. After a while, Draco declared it was time to have spa day. Harry laughed and agreed. They hid under the cloak, so they could hold hands on their way up to the Room of Requirement.

When they got there, they were dismayed to discover it was in use.

"Damn." Draco swore. "What do you want to do now?"

"It's your day, you decide." Draco smiled at Harry, lightly bumping his shoulder against Harry's, when the door opened. They both quietened as a head poked out, looking both ways, before the rest of the body came through.

"Come on," Vincent Crabbe muttered to Greggory Goyle as they both exited. Harry and Draco exchanged looks under the cloak as they walked away. The door vanished before either could get to it.

"What were they doing in there?" Harry asked suspiciously as they called forth their own room.

Draco stayed silent until they were inside. It looked exactly as it had the year previously. "I don't have my robe." Draco said distractedly.

"Do you need it?" Harry asked with raised eyebrows, trying to be cute.

"I think they have taken over my mission." Draco said slowly. "I think they have taken over fixing the vanishing cabinet."

"What?" Harry asked, stopping unbuttoning his shirt, thrown by the rapid switching of conversations.

"I keep forgetting I didn't tell you that part. My main idea was to fix the set of vanishing cabinets. Remember how Flint got stuck in them last year? He told me sometimes he could hear things happening at Hogwarts and some things happening in Borgin and Burkes. I figured out that if I fixed them, they could be used to transport from point A to point B. I was half working on it as a way to get my mother out of the manor, but I couldn't solve the poison problem. I bet they are continuing my work!"

Harry hummed in agreement. It was a rather brilliant plan. "What would the point be, if it's not being used to get your mother?"

Draco looked at Harry. "I bought the other one from Borgin and Burkes. It's at the manor right now. Harry, if they fix it, they could get into Hogwarts!" Harry gasped.

"We can't let that happen!" Harry said. "What do we do?"

"We could break it beyond repair, but that might make things worse. What will they do if they can't fix it, or if we steal it?"

Harry took a deep breath. "It's Valentine's Day, and they're obviously done for now, so why don't we relax for now, and talk about it later."

Draco stared at him. "Who are you, and what have you done with my boyfriend?" Harry laughed and took Draco's hand, leading him over to the mud bath. Harry hadn't gotten in last year, it was a strange experience.

The mud was squishy and got into every crevice he had. He wasn't sure he enjoyed it, he definitely preferred the jacuzzi . They held hands and were close together as they relaxed back into the gunk, barely talking.

Draco was the king on Valentine's. He decided when each new stage came. He helped Harry out of the tub and their muddy footprints lead a trail over to the shower.

Draco kissed Harry hard as he pulled him in under the spray. Harry moaned as he pushed Draco up against the wall. Draco hummed low in his throat as they slowly separated. Draco soaped up a loofa, staring into Harry's eyes.

He washed Harry slowly, making sure he got every speck of mud or dirty off of Harry. He got down on his knees to do Harry's legs, lifting each one to do the bottoms of Harry's feet. Harry had never felt so clean. When Draco finally deemed him clean enough, he took the loofa and repeated the actions on Draco, holding onto his arms when he did them, and supporting his back for the rest of it.

After the shower, Draco decided he wanted to do the mani-pedi and massage. They did their ritual of rubbing each other down with the fluffy towels, then wrapped them around themselves to cover up. "Do you want me to do yours?" Draco asked as he stood from the chair, nails newly cleaned. Harry took a look at his terrible cuticles, unsure. "You could probably use it. Let me, please?" Harry wasn't sure why he would even want to, but powerless to deny him. It was better than expected. Draco was gentle with him, and his nails were even shorter by the end of it, but they undeniably looked better.

"Ready for your massage?" Harry asked as he led Draco over to the table. Draco nodded, looking excited. He laid down, sitting up on his elbows, as Harry prepared the rocks and oils. He massaged every square centimeter of muscle he could find, and when he was done, Draco appeared half-asleep.

Harry picked him up and carried him over to the bed, setting him down gently. Harry hugged him close to his chest, kissing the top of his head as Draco settled into him. "Can we take a nap?" Draco mumbled, already sounding half way to dreamland.

Harry wasn't tired but couldn't think of anything he would rather be doing than holding Draco close as he dreamed. "Sounds good to me." Harry knew Draco was still having trouble sleeping, but Draco always seemed to sleep fine when they were together.

"You are so good to me." Draco mumbled, and hugged a pillow. Harry smiled. He settled in next to Draco, afraid of waking him or he would have pulled them closer. His eyes drifted closed as he listened to Draco's gentle breathing.


	14. Year 6 Part IV

**A/N: There were two scenes cut for this site in particular, I'm sure you'll be able to tell where. There is another version on another site that is particularly dirty, if you are interested in that. As I'm sure all you know, there's a rule preventing URL's, so I recommend just Googling MickeySLee or searching for 'A Hard Story' on Archive of Our Own, if you so desire an explicit rated version. **

* * *

So, what are we going to do about Crabbe and Goyle?" Harry asked, after they had both awakened. They had laid back and cuddled for a while, but it had been weighing on his mind as he was laying there.

Draco let out a burst of air. "I don't know, sweetie. Let's go through it logically. What would happen if we stole it?"

Harry hummed. "Well, it would be useless without the other one, right? That might be the best thing."

"I'm concerned what will happen if we do that though. What will be their reaction? Will they know it was me, and confront me? Attack me to get it back? They're obligated to make this happen, so they'll just come up with something else, something that we have no idea about. I'm wondering if the smarter thing to do is let them keep going, thinking they're going to succeed."

"What if they do?" Harry sat up on his side to see Draco more fully.

Draco shook his head. "They really and truly are not very intelligent, I don't think they will be able to do it. Maybe we could put some spells on it, mess with how it works, so we know they won't be able to figure it out."

"Why don't we take a look at it, see if we can figure it out?"

"I couldn't, what makes you think you can?" Harry gave him a wry look. "Alright, I guess it's as good an idea as any." They dressed, exited the room and called forth the room of lost things. Harry gaped at the mountains of possessions.

He put his hand into the closest pile, coming back with a bottle of sherry. That was strange. There were books, broken pieces of furniture, random objects. He went further into the room, looking around in interest. Ahead of him was a bust with a tiara on its head. He strode forward, something about the crown calling to him. His vision tunneled strangely, and he heard strange whispering. His fingers reached out, about to touch the odd thing.

"Over here," Draco called. Harry looked around, startled. The spell that had been played on him had broken, and there was nothing strange about the tiara, except why would someone put it there? Draco was waving to him, so he followed him over to a familiar looking wardrobe. It was big, and he had climbed inside a very identical one four years ago at Borgin and Burkes. This one appeared a little more worn, like it had been dropped from a height.

Draco was waving his wand over the cabinet, Harry wasn't sure what the intent was. He did a visual inspection instead. The door wouldn't close all the way, it was slightly off kilter, as if the hinges had come loose. He waved the door back and forth experimentally.

Draco sighed as he ceased his spell casting. "I just don't know what's wrong with it." He said.

Harry hummed. "Could it be because it's not closing all the way?" Harry asked as he tried lifting the door, so it would close evenly. Draco frowned.

"It really shouldn't matter with the magic around and ingrained in it." Harry shrugged and asked the room for a toolbox. It might not work, but it was probably worth a shot. With a screwdriver, he unscrewed the screws around the hinges until the door fell all the way off. "Well, now it definitely won't work." Draco commented dryly. Harry didn't bother looking at him.

He requested new hinges and the room provided shiny gold ones. "Can you hold the door up for me?" Harry asked, and Draco did so doubtfully.

"I never noticed it was a muggle cabinet." Draco said, looking as if he was curious. "What is that you're using? Do muggles have wands?"

Harry laughed. "No, it's called a screwdriver. These little things are called screws, so you're literally driving the screws into the holes."

Draco hummed. "How do the holes get there?"

"There's another muggle tool called a drill that makes holes in things like wood and metal." Draco hummed in interest again.

"Wizards just use sticking charms. It's so clever what they've managed to do without magic." Harry laughed, so in love with the Pureblood wizard that found muggles fascinating. He tried not to think of Arthur Weasley.

When he had both hinges on, Draco let go of the door and Harry opened and closed it. It closed evenly and perfect. Draco narrowed his eyes and produced an apple, placing it in the center of the cabinet. He closed the door, waited a moment, and opened it again. The apple had vanished. He gasped in excitement. Another close and open and the apple reappeared, whole, healthy and unrotten.

"It worked! You fixed it! You are incredible, Harry!" Harry blushed in pleasure as Draco hugged him. The joy of their success lasted a couple moments, then they looked at each other. "What now?"

Harry bit his lip. "Now we know for sure what was wrong, do you think they will figure it out if I break it again?"

Draco shook his head. "No way would I ever have thought of this. There's no way in hell that Crabbe or Goyle will figure it out either. I think if we put it back how it was, it'll be safe. What do you think?"

Harry shrugged. "You know them better than I do. If you say it's safe, I believe you. Maybe we could break it further just to be sure?"

Draco nodded and started waving his wand. Harry stood back to watch. "There. I've messed with the teleportation properties just enough they'll never figure it out. Can you put the… screws back in?" Harry nodded and did so.

"How are Crabbe and Goyle treating you?" Harry asked as they exited the room.

Draco snorted. "I think they're suspicious about what my intentions are. Voldemort told me that some of his followers warned him about my intentions, which was apparently less than he desired, and I think it might have been them. They're acting more like my guards than bodyguards. They ask me where I'm going a lot and they never cared before. They're harder to shake when I go see you. I think the only time they don't have some sort of eye on me is when they sneak off to go work on the cabinet."

Harry hummed thoughtfully. "Can you keep an eye on them? We need to monitor how much progress they're making." They called up another room and entered.

Draco sighed. "Why is this up to us? Dumbledore said he had everything under control. Why do you always have to be responsible for everything?"

Harry thought for a moment. "I guess I don't have to be, but if I don't, who will?"

Draco let another sigh out, this time longer. "I knew who you were when I fell for you."

"What does that mean?" Harry asked, thinking he should probably be a little offended.

Draco smiled and took his hand. They both looked around the room they had created together. It was stone walls, floors and ceiling, just like the rest of the castle. There were candles all over the room, and a fire was roaring in the fireplace, casting a very romantic glow throughout the room. There was a red carpet in front of the fire, a dark wood coffee table behind that, a black leather couch behind that, and a bed in the middle of the back wall. There were nightstands on either side, both them and the frame made from dark wood. The bedclothes were black as well, with gold and silver thin lines embroidered around the edges. There was a red plush blanket folded at the end of the bed, and that and the pillows looked very fluffy. Harry thought it couldn't be more perfect.

Draco used the hand he was holding to pull Harry close and hug him. "Happy Valentine's." Harry said.

"Happy Valentine's. Are you hungry yet? We could call for dinner." Harry's stomach rumbled, answering Draco's question. Draco laughed and called for Kreature. Harry would have preferred Dobby, but Draco was still unsettled with him around. Kreature adored Draco, he had made it clear through his mutterings that he preferred him as a master. Harry barely cared.

"What can Kreature be doing for Master Draco?" Kreature asked, bowing low. Harry rolled his eyes.

"We would like dinner for two, as well as a dessert. Chocolate covered strawberries if they're available, as well." Kreature bowed low again, muttering about how wonderful it was to serve a proper pureblood, then popped out of existence. Harry took a seat on the couch as Draco retrieved the red blanket from the bed, wrapping it around both of them as he took his own seat.

Harry smiled at him and kissed him lightly. There was a sense of suspense in the air. They had slept in the same bed before, but Harry was planning on something more happening tonight, something that was going to come close to what he was not ready for, but he thought he was ready for this, what he was planning. His heart skipped a beat as he thought about what he had brought along in his bag.

He pulled back against Draco's low whine of protest. "Don't you want your present?" Draco deflated, the first time he ever had when presents were mentioned. "What's wrong?"

"I didn't get you anything. I will, but I feel guilty opening something when you don't have anything."

Harry cupped his cheek. "I don't care about that one bit. Just being your boyfriend is an honor, and plenty gift enough for me." Draco snorted and rolled his eyes at Harry's sap. "Besides, I thought of that, too. I got myself something in your name." Draco laughed.

"You have thought of everything, haven't you?" Harry pulled his bag up to his lap and handed Draco his main present. Draco raised an eyebrow as he took in the professional wrapping.

"I had the shopkeeper wrap it." Harry said sheepishly. Draco shook his head.

"Don't do that again, I love your crappy wrapping." Harry blushed, pleased. Draco unwrapped his present at a far more sedate pace than usual, revealing a leather-bound book. "It's beautiful." He commented, opening the pages to see what they held.

"It's an adjustable potions journal. There's instructions on the back page, but there's places for ingredients, instructions, and notes. Snape mentioned it's pureblood tradition to have one of these for personal use, right? I didn't overstep my bounds, did I?"

"No, you didn't, my love." Draco said, humbled and loved. He took Harry's face and kissed him with all his gratitude. When he pulled back, he said, "I love it. Thank you. What did you get for yourself?" Harry grinned.

"I don't know, I guess I should open it and find out, huh?" Harry handed the present to Draco, who passed it back with an eyeroll. It was refills for his broomstick servicing kit. He had been dangerously low for quite a while. "Thank you, Baby!" He simpered. Draco rolled his eyes again.

"You're welcome, you stupid, beautiful sap." They kissed again, this time, more passionately. They fell back, Draco on top of Harry. Things were getting hot when there was a loud pop, breaking them apart.

"Masters is being improper." Kreature mumbled as he directed the platters of food to the coffee table in front of them. "What would poor Mistress say? Oh, poor Mistress. Her nephew, consorting with half-breeds—"

"Oi!" Draco snapped. "You will cease your insistent mumblings at once! I don't want to hear another word against your master, what would your mistress say about her house elf behaving so poorly?"

Kreature gasped in horror. "Kreature is a good elf!" He cried, throwing himself to the floor at Harry's feet. "Kreature will never speak ill of Master again!" Draco glared at him.

"See that you don't. You are dismissed until you are called." Kreature bowed once again, for once not saying anything, and popped out of the room again. Harry raised a brow at Draco. He didn't hold much sympathy for Kreature, but he wasn't exactly much more than a nuisance either.

"Was that necessary?" He asked Draco, pulling the table closer to them.

Draco nodded. "They like being treated like that, they respect it. You and Sirius don't give him enough to do, so he gets bored. That's why he's muttering, not because he's mad."

Harry hummed non-committedly. He didn't agree with negative treatment but didn't want to argue with Draco just now. He sat on the floor, and after a groan, Draco joined him. They teased each other lightly over the quidditch prospects for the next game over a dinner of pasta. Dessert was ice-cream with hot chocolate fudge sauce. Harry and Draco took turns spoon feeding each other and laughing when they missed each other's mouths.

"Let's go lay down," Draco said as he stood and grabbed the strawberries. Harry gulped, but took his outstretched hand and followed him. Draco pushed Harry down lightly to sit on the edge of the bed, standing in front of him. He placed the strawberries on the nightstand and wrapped his fingers through Harry's hair. "Are you sure there is nothing you want from me?" Draco whispered as he leaned down, head resting against Harry's.

Draco's lips were so close to him. "I love your sweet kisses." He returned, tilting his head up closer.

Draco smirked softly, the one Harry loved. He scraped his nails against Harry's scalp. "Do you want some of my sweet kisses?"

"Well, if you're just going to hand them out, I'd better be the recipient." Draco's lips brushed his as he hummed.

"All my kisses are yours." He pulled Harry's bottom lip into his mouth, massaging it with his tongue, as he climbed on top of Harry, legs on either side of him, straddling him. Harry leaned back a little to allow him more room. They exchanged soft, sweet, little kisses slowly, letting the tension build.

* * *

Harry was able to see an improvement in Draco's disposition as the weeks wore on. He began making fun of Harry in public again, he gained some of the weight he had lost, his skin appeared less pale, and he was happier when they were in private. He couldn't be gladder.

"They finally confronted me," Draco told Harry one Sunday before March.

"Who?"

"Crabbe and Goyle. Wanted to know if I was still working on the plan for Voldemort. I told them it was none of their business, but they disagreed. I tried to use some intimidation, and they backed off, for now, but I don't know how long that will last. I think they might know that I've abandoned the cause. I'm worried, Harry." Harry pulled him closer to his chest, worried as well.

Ron's birthday started out rather boring, compared to the rest of it. Ron fell victim to a love potion Romilda Vane had snuck to Harry in a box of chocolates. He convinced Ron to go to Slughorn's office to get the antidote, and Slughorn convinced them to celebrate overcoming it with a drink. Ron downed his in one gulp, rather depressed after his ordeal.

Harry couldn't imagine a worse way to spend a birthday than love-potioned. It even made him feel better about his own nightmarish birthdays.

Then came the fourth lesson with Dumbledore. Harry watched as a young Tom Riddle asked Hepzibah Smith about her Hufflepuff Cup, then ask Dumbledore about teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. He still had no idea how to get the missing memory from Slughorn.

Hope's Army had one drawback that Harry did (nonetheless) enjoy. It was hard to be around Draco and perform a delicate balance of trying to pretend that they hated each other but were forced to be civil with the other. They normally compensated by ignoring each other.

Dumbledore had told them that he understood teenagers needed time away from adults to be teenagers and bowed out gracefully. He did attend at least one meeting a month to check in with them all, and the others were slowly becoming used to his presence amongst them. Dumbledore had told Harry that what he missed most about teaching was interacting with his students, so Harry asked him to teach them some spells, which was met with much enthusiasm. Just like that, the club began to resemble Dumbledore's Army, and the name was even more fitting with Dumbledore teaching. He didn't tell this to Dumbledore, however. That, along with Apparition lessons, made his schedule very full.

Other times, when Dumbledore wasn't there, it resembled more of a party. Occasionally they would all sit together in the circle of chairs and talk about their week, or their fears. Sometimes Mandy would have a prompt, other times they just talked about whatever they wanted. Every now and then it would break off and they would all have separate conversations about anything in small groups, socializing. Harry preferred the big group, so it wasn't unusual if he stared at Draco, should he talk.

Draco was quiet a lot, especially after his mother died. It got around that he found out his mother died, specifically, Mandy pulled Harry aside to a small corner with a hardened expression. She pointed a finger at him and told him to leave Draco alone, at least for a little while. When Harry asked why, she said his mother had passed away. Harry was surprised she knew, thankfully his surprise was the appropriate response.

Draco would occasionally glare at him or those around him, and Harry wasn't entirely sure why, except that perhaps it was to mask wanting to look at him, like he did to Draco. It was occasionally Ginny that was with him when he did, but sometimes it was one of the older boys. They seemed to like touching him on the arm or shoulder, pushing him as Harry told a joke. Harry figured the over affection was a quality to being gay.

Harry didn't like it when someone would hit on Draco, which happened more than he would care to admit. Draco didn't tell them off completely, like Harry wanted him to. He wished Draco would say, "get away from me, I have a boyfriend I'm madly in love with," but instead he would laugh at the jokes, gently shrug off the touches, and yawn to dissuade. Harry understood that no one could make a connection between them, and he trusted Draco, but it couldn't help but bother him.

He understood it must be hard to date, he was glad he really didn't have to deal with trying to find a partner. Most of the 'out' students were in the club, and they had the options of being friends and dateless or trying to date and making it awkward amongst the only people who understood what it was like to be a member of LGBT. It wasn't something he envied.

"Your hair is looking luscious today," Terry Boot told Draco within hearing distance of Harry. He was talking to Jamie, the first-year trans girl about defense; Jamie didn't understand one of the lessons. He explained about the counter charm to jinxes while half listening to the conversation.

"Thank you, although, it looks luscious every day." Draco drawled, unimpressed. Harry grinned, facing away from him, and Jamie grinned back a little uncertainly. Harry cleared his throat before continuing.

Terry laughed, "Oh, Draco, you are just so funny." He placed a hand on Draco's arm, the one holding a drink. Harry saw out of the corner of his eye Draco take a sip to dislodge it gracefully. He wished he were that smooth.

"I am, aren't I?" Draco said humbly. Harry held back a snort. That was his Draco.

"What are you supposed to do if someone curses you with a silencing charm, then tries to curse you with something else?" Jamie pulled his attention back.

"…Astronomy tower with me? The stars up there are incredible." He caught the end of Draco's conversation after he answered Jamie and had to stop himself from vaulting over the table in between them to intervene. Jamie asked another question, but Harry was listening intently to Draco's answer.

"You don't say? The stars look good from the Astronomy tower? It's almost as though it were designed to be that way." Terry laughed, then a little hesitatingly as if he wasn't quite sure if Draco were joking or not. Jamie waved a hand in Harry's face, and Harry finally realized she had been talking. He gave her an apologetic look before answering and missed whatever Draco said to get Terry to go away. Jamie left too, and Harry sat in front of the table to eat some snacks. It was completely unintentional that he was near Draco.

"You really just won't give any of these people a break, will you?" Blaise Zabini said to Draco as he handed him another drink. Draco thanked him but didn't comment. "Are you ever going to give any of these blokes a chance?" Blaise rephrased.

Draco sighed. "I don't think so. Maybe if they didn't try so hard. They reek of desperation." Harry took another chip, dipped it, and chewed thoughtfully, a tiny niggle of doubt and dread wiggling about in his gut.

"You know, I'm not really into the dating and strings thing either. If you ever wanted, you and I could hook up." Harry choked on his mouthful. None of the boys had been that forward with him.

Draco was much more graceful. He raised a sculpted eyebrow. "I'm not sure that would be a good idea, Blaise."

Blaise shrugged. "Bad idea or not, it's just sex. It doesn't have to mean anything. And the offer's open, you know where my bed is. If there's not someone already in it. Of course, that's something I need to cross off the list." He leered at Draco and Harry felt fury rise in him. One of the glasses on the table broke, exploding liquid all over Harry.

It drew the attention of the room. "Why does that keep happening?" Blaise demanded loudly. Harry tried hard to play it cool.

"Must be a defect in the bottles," Draco drawled. "Unless, of course, the drinks themselves want a piece of Potter. What, that was a compliment!" He added to Mandy, who had given him a warning look.

"I'm just going to go get cleaned up," Harry told the room. There were waves and mumbles and Harry left. Cleaning charms were fine, but they didn't quite do the job of a good wash, and Harry needed a moment to himself to calm down anyway.

"What was the explosion about?" Draco asked Harry the next day.

"How do you know it was me?" Harry demanded. Draco snorted.

"Because, for some reason, explosions are your thing. So?" Harry gathered his thoughts, it wasn't that he didn't want to talk to Draco, he knew they could talk about anything, but this conversation could go very badly, and he was a little afraid of the outcome. Draco reached over and took his hand, rubbing his thumb lightly over Harry's. It gave Harry strength.

"Do you ever think about what it would be like to date other people?" He asked, feeling his stomach churn in protest.

Draco looked stunned. "Not really. Maybe, honestly, I've looked at someone and my brain jumped to picture it. But no matter what, it's never as good as what we have. I would never want anyone but you Harry. From what I understand, it's a healthy thing to look on occasion. I would never betray you, but do you think it's wrong, if my mind jumps to something without consciously thinking about it?"

Harry took a deep breath. "What if that's your subconscious wanting to try something else? We've never dated anyone else, Draco, and we're talking about getting married. That's not normal, is it? I just can't help but wonder if it would be for the best if…" He couldn't even complete the thought. He was starting to feel sick.

"Do you want to break up?" Draco asked, looking stricken.

"No!" Harry practically shouted. "I really don't. The thought alone is killing me. I can't picture a single day without you in it. I'm just scared that we're supposed to be doing something that we're missing out on. Blaise said sex didn't have to mean anything, and I can't help but wonder if that's something you want." Harry wasn't making much sense, he knew that, wasn't coming across his point clearly. He wasn't sure how to say it correctly, however.

"Sweetheart," Draco said, cupping his face. "If you don't want to break up then we shouldn't. Simple as that. I can't imagine my life without you by my side, and I don't want to either. Maybe we are missing out on dating around, and flirting with anything that moves, and, yeah, meaningless sex, but they are missing out on having the kind of relationship that you and I have spent years building. They want what we have, Harry, and they're just trying to fill their lives with what they can. I love what we have, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world." Harry blinked, overwhelmed. "I don't want any of that, sweetie. I want you, and I will always want you. I do want to marry you, when you're ready to say yes."

Harry looked down. "What about…I have a fear of intimacy, Draco. It can't be easy, and we should be having sex by now, but we aren't, because of me. I'm tired of my own mood swings, you have to be too."

"Listen to me, Harry Potter." Draco said in a hard tone. Harry looked up to meet his eyes. "I will tell you this every time until you believe it. I love you, more than anything in this world. It doesn't matter to me that you're scared. You were nervous about a lot of things we've done, and the more we do, the more comfortable you feel. You are getting so much better, and I am so proud of you. I wouldn't trade the things we do together for the best sex in the world, and I imagine that would only be with you. We will have it when we are both ready, and not a minute before. I won't be ready until you are, my love." He kissed Harry fiercely.

Harry sighed into the kiss. He felt like a weight had been lifted from his chest. That had been weighing on his mind for a long time, and it had only grown heavier. Now, there was a lightness in its place. He felt like showing Draco just how thankful he was to have him in his life, so he began devoiding Draco of his clothes. Draco hummed in interest, joining in on his activities.

Harry laughed, releasing some of the tension that had been building inside him. "You're sure?" He asked as Draco started licking his neck, peppering kisses over his lines. He knew he was.

"Yes. I'll tell you as many times as you need, since you're so thick it takes forever to get through your skull." Harry laughed in surprise again, as Draco pushed him down and kissed the center of his chest. Harry fought with him for dominance, feeling a little frisky.

Draco's eyes came alight with happiness and competition. They loved playing together, and it took years off of them. He went for Harry's wrists, and Harry fought against him to regain power. At the angle they were in, it didn't matter that Harry was a bit stronger, Draco had the leverage.

He shifted, trying to regain the upper position, as Draco started placing kisses on his skin. He, for one moment, almost gave in to letting Draco have the power and be loved on, but then he felt like he couldn't let Draco win, at least not that easy.

He hooked his leg around Draco's and pulled, sending Draco toppling on top of him. He used Draco's surprise to roll him and climb on top. He kissed and sucked on his neck as he went, working on Draco's belt.

Afterwards, they cuddled up and traded a couple kisses, enjoying their mixed tastes as usual. "I won." Draco told him.

"Yeah right." Harry disagreed. They had both won, but they argued about it for quite a while.

* * *

Florence Mayweather scowled as he looked around Dumbledore's office. He had never been in here before, and his fingers twitched at the thought of being placed on the many rare and valuable things he had littered all over the place.

He knew that that was what had gotten him in trouble in the first place. Stupid Abigail, ratting on him for taking her toy Nimbus 2000 model. It was so cool, and his parents never gave him anything. She had ten of other broomstick models she could play with, and he hadn't even taken the Firebolt, or the Nimubs 2001. What did she have to complain about really?

She was only upset because he picked on her occasionally. It wasn't even that mean but say one thing to the girl and she burst into tears. It was kind of funny.

Abigail didn't even know for sure that he was the one who took it. She just realized it was missing and immediately pointed her chubby little finger at him. He had seen her do it from across the common room. It wasn't fair.

He knew that there was no proof, and he probably shouldn't even be up in the Headmaster's office. There was never any proof he took the things he took. He had them in a box under his bed, enchanted to be hidden from prying eyes. He only ever took them out in the dead of night, when everyone else was asleep. So, there was no way he was in enough trouble to warrant a trip up here. This deserved punishment.

He wondered what the most valuable thing in the office was. Maybe the trinket on the bookshelf, the middle one in the pile? It probably wasn't anything that was laid out for just anyone to see. There was a pensive in one of the cabinets, he found it after some exploring, and knew that had to be one of the most valuable things. It would be hard to sneak it out, however, and Dumbledore would definitely realize it was missing. One of the ripped and broken spine books would probably not be missed.

Florence had a look at the papers covering Dumbledore's desk. How could he find anything in here? He definitely wouldn't be able to tell if one of these little things just happened to disappear. He took a lemon drop, he had heard that Dumbledore handed them out like, well, candy, but he wasn't here to offer it, so he enjoyed his grabbing. A thrill went up his spine as he tasted the lemony sourness.

There was a chain, under some of the papers, and Florence thought about taking it. He really shouldn't, after all, the reason he was here was for stealing. He felt the burning desire and made short work of grabbing that too. Maybe that was the trinket he was looking forward to obtaining.

Suddenly, he started coughing, unable to get air in his lungs. He was choking! He tumbled forward, hands scratching at his throat, as if hoping to find another way in. He was dying, he knew it.

It wasn't fair, he was so young! He had so much to live for and he was basically a good person, at the root of it all. Ok, so he stole things; that made him a thief, not deserving to die!

If he lived through this, he would stop his ways. He knew the things he did were bad, some of them, at least. He wanted to change that, if he got another chance, that was exactly what he would do.

Florence fell over to the floor and had just moments to register the sound of the door opening before his eyes were completely overcome with darkness.


	15. Year 6 Part V

**A/N: "Ethan and Noah" are in honor of probably my favorite Drarry fanfic, 'The I do' series by XxTheDarkLordxX. Fantastic writer and story. The series is incomplete, but the first is so long it's worth a read, in my opinion.**

* * *

A sense of fear swept over the castle as rumors of a second year nearly dying circulated. Harry was concerned, Hogwarts was one of the safest places in the world, why were people still getting hurt? And in the Headmaster's office.

Harry noticed the boy's parents when they came to the school a day later to check on him. They looked more annoyed than worried, and didn't want to take the boy home with them, as he heard through the Hogwarts gossip vine. He felt for the poor kid, he was glad he was alright.

He couldn't help but wonder if this was another attempt on Dumbledore's life. He didn't bring it up with Draco, not wanting to make him feel badly.

As the end of the year approached, Harry began to feel pressure. For several things, including the future, Draco, exams, and obtaining the lost memory from Slughorn.

He decided to try one last time, then bring in his secret weapon. He talked to Slughorn after class, and when that failed, he decided to try the Felix Felices.

Ron and Hermione stared at him after he took a small gulp. He felt fantastic. His night went well, and he got the memory! He immediately went to Dumbledore's office and they viewed the memory together in an emergency meeting.

Harry wasn't convinced of the significance of the memory, but it was definitely important to Dumbledore. He paced around the room and thought aloud to Harry. They decided that Voldemort had six horcruxes, splitting his soul seven times. Two had already been destroyed. That left four, which was suddenly a huge number. Harry went back to his dormitory stunned and dismayed.

Two relationships ended that night, although Harry wasn't there to see it. Ron and Lavender as well as Ginny and Dean broke up. Ron told him about it the next day after Harry shared what he had learned the night before. Later that day, Katie returned to the castle.

Finally, the quidditch team was back together. Just in time too, as the final quidditch match of the season was fast approaching.

Harry had really been looking forward to this match. He had a very strange feeling that he was lucky to be playing in it.

The day dawned brightly, and Harry just knew it was an omen. The day couldn't have been any better and brighter. The game couldn't have gone any better either. The team operated like a well-oiled machine, behaving like they hadn't been broken up several times throughout the year, rather like they had been playing together for years.

When Harry caught the snitch, a thrill of excitement and happiness zapped through him. There was nothing like winning a match, and nothing like winning the quidditch cup. As the team lifted him on their shoulders, he waved his arms, and caught sight of Draco in the Slytherin section of the crowd, hanging back.

Harry felt a touch of something at the base of his spine. He almost regretted winning, seeing the look on Draco's face. It was mostly blank, in the typical Slytherin mask, but Harry could see the longing on it. As he felt his own face start to fall, Draco blinked, and gave him a wide, beaming smile. It lit up his whole face, making him look more ethereal, like an angel. He was Harry's angel.

Harry found himself smiling back, head tilted sideways, letting Draco see for a moment how he loved him. He knew people saw him when he got a few raised eyebrows, but most were too involved with celebrating the win to notice what he was doing.

*** Ginny POV

All around her, Gryffindors were screaming and celebrating. Ginny was even lifted momentarily. She had scored the most goals, she admitted. The team as a whole had done so very well, but the chasers played their hearts out, if she said so herself.

She turned to look at Harry, as she usually did during big events. Or small events. Or anything that happened, really. She just wanted to look at him and understand how he was feeling, she thought she had gotten pretty good at it. Her feelings didn't feel quite official until she saw how Harry was feeling.

He was beautiful, absolutely gorgeous. His sweat stuck to his skin and reflected the sun, creating a glow around him. There was a smile stretched across his face, and it made him look incredible. His hair was windblown, downright crazy, and she wanted nothing more than to kiss those lips, running her fingers through that hair.

He was above her, lifted onto the Beaters' shoulders as he waved his muscular arms at all his adoring fans. Quidditch players were usually more muscular than the average student; it was harder work than you'd think, flying around the quidditch pitch on a broom. Harry was a great captain, he had them doing laps and strength training, so they were in a better collective shape than they ever had been. Ginny suspected they were the best team in the school, which, really, had just been proven. Ginny figured that Harry did more than the rest of them, he was the strongest person on the team. It wasn't like Seekers needed the extra strength either.

Harry was looking off into the distance, and while he had been exuberant, his face drained of happiness. Ginny looked around confused, trying to see what had made him upset. He was looking at the Slytherin section, why would he be upset looking at them? Dean was cheering in his line of sight, that was probably who he was looking at. She looked back, and Harry was smiling again, the most wonderful expression on his face, and Ginny felt the sensation of falling even further in love with him.

Everything she did, she did for Harry. She had waited her entire childhood to meet him. When she had been possessed by the diary, she and waited for Harry to save her. She studied hard, wanting to be smart enough to be deserved by Harry. She tried out for quidditch because it was something Harry loved more than anything, and they could bond over their shared love. She made friends because no one liked being someone's only friend, it would have been weird otherwise. She joined the DA because he was teaching it, as many people had done, hoping to get closer to him. She had also joined Hope's Army hoping to get even closer as friends and as possible lovers.

She had made up that story she told at the first meeting, well, half of it. The part about liking a boy had certainly been true, but she didn't have a special girl in mind. At least, she hadn't going in. She thought about Luna, the girl had just popped into her head, when she was telling that story. It wasn't in a romantic way, just in a friendship sense, she didn't feel that way about women.

Well, she had strange feelings about other girls sometimes, but that didn't mean she was gay, it meant that she was a normal healthy girl that had a few bumps in the road along her romantic history. Girls were special, they could have feelings for other girls that boys wouldn't understand. Friendship was deep with them, and confusing thoughts didn't mean that she was gay. She definitely preferred men, and preferably Harry, so that was that.

She did feel guilty about infiltrating an organization that obviously didn't apply to her. It was wrong what she did, and she knew that. Sometimes, the things Harry did made her a little crazy. She lost herself in him sometimes. She was the girl that waited, and she was tired of waiting.

Hermione had told her that she had a chance with Harry, and that was all the invitation she needed. Not that she had even needed that. She started dating other guys to make him jealous. Hermione had told her that she needed to move on, and Ginny disagreed. Hermione had sighed, and said, "well, what if you pretend to move on from your crush? Date some guys, and maybe Harry will get jealous." That wasn't exactly what she had said, it was long and somewhat boring, but Ginny heard the implication. So, she had started dating Michael. It really wasn't just to make Harry jealous either. Michael was a nice enough boy and she ended up liking them more than she thought she would. He just wasn't Harry. His reaction had been slow, and she had even needed another boy to get him to make a move, but she and him were friends now.

It had been a process, but the longer they spent time together, the closer they got, and those boys were making him crazy, she just knew it. Harry looking at Dean moments ago was proof that he was jealous of him. He had absolutely no reason to be, and she suspected he knew that, she wasn't exactly subtle with her flirting. That meant that he was ready to be in a relationship with her. He had had bad experiences with dating and women, Ginny had heard all she could about Cho, who was just crazy, but he was apparently over all that, and was ready to start a loving and healthy relationship.

Hermione had warned her that men liked to do the chasing, hence the obstacles in the form of other boys. Hermione told her to let Harry come to her, but she was so tired of waiting, of not being with Harry. She was the girl who waited. She had done everything right, the good, patient way, but she was done. Harry liked her, she knew he did, he had to, did it really matter if she made that final move that would cement them together forever?

Harry waved at her, he had the quidditch cup in hand, and was passing it among other members of the team. She had hung back a little, finalizing her plan, so she would be the last one to hold the cup. Ginny thought about doing it later, but now was the perfect time, the best time, here in front of all their friends, to really start her relationship. Their relationship, she meant.

Harry came forward through the crowd of scarlet Gryffindors, pushing people aside to get to her. "Here!" He yelled over the noise and thrusted the cup towards her. "Our best chaser deserves a minute!"

He was laughing, and smiling, the corners of his eyes crinkling, so very happy. She was about to make him even happier.

She stood on her toes, completely ignoring the cup, look of fierce determination on her face, and threw her arms around Harry's neck. There were lines of confusion on his face after she did that, but she would explain it in the best way she knew how.

She gave him a smile, a bright winning one, and the lines of his face evened out a little as he smiled back at her; even if it was a little hesitant, it was all the invitation she needed.

Ginny put on a burst of speed, throwing herself upwards, tightening the grip around his neck, and pushed her lips upon his.

It was wonderful, everything she had ever dreamed. His lips were warm, just a little chapped, and so soft. They weren't moving, but that was alright. This was a first kiss, as sweet as they come, and they didn't need to have passion in this very moment. After all, this kiss was lasting several sunlit days, it was perfect.

Suddenly, Harry was moving, wiggling against her. Ginny giggled as they separated, then very quickly got cut off at the look on Harry's face.

Harry was white, he looked aghast, traumatized, he looked over her head, staring at something for several long moments. Then he looked down at her, and there was apology on his face, pity. Ginny took a step back, reeling.

The kiss had been perfect, everything she had ever wanted. Was it not what he was expecting? She took another look at him, and really, really saw him, perhaps for the first time.

He wasn't happy, not anymore. She had taken that away from him. She had taken something from the man she loved, when he had given her so much happiness. He was frowning, his mouth was moving without sound coming out, as if he was trying to figure out what to say. "Ginny…" he finally settled on, but she didn't want to hear anything else.

She shook her head, tears springing to her eyes, as she took more steps backwards. "No," she said in denial, as she realized that she had been wrong. Harry didn't love her. He didn't want her. He might not even like her.

Ginny turned and ran and ran and ran. It was the only way she could hope to escape. She pushed people out of the way, some were laughing at her, and that only served to make her sob. She hadn't cried since Harry had asked someone else to the Yule Ball. It was a point of pride with her that she never cried, but this was a very special occasion, considering her heart had just been broken into millions of pieces.

* * *

Harry stared after Ginny, so confused, and not quite sure what to do. He had already done the most important thing, which was checking on Draco. Draco had looked stunned, and upset, and a little heartbroken too. When he had seen Harry looking, he had sighed and shrugged, offering Harry a small smile of understanding.

Harry hadn't kissed Ginny back, and had fought her off as soon as he realized what she was doing. Draco knew it wasn't his fault, but he still felt badly about it. This was just a situation that was bad all around. Poor Draco, poor Ginny, poor Harry.

He wasn't sure who to go after. He wanted to talk to Draco and make absolutely sure he was ok. He knew he would be devastated if it had been Draco that was kissed in front of everyone.

"Aren't you going to go after her?" Ron was suddenly by his side, a tough expression on his face. Harry looked at him. Ron had an expression on his face that made it seem like he was about to deck Harry but was temporarily resisting.

Harry gulped but nodded. He looked at Draco one last time, who nodded, mouthed "later," and turned back to his friends. He had the best, most understanding boyfriend in the entire world.

He searched everywhere he could think to look but couldn't find Ginny anywhere. She wasn't in any of the hidden nooks he knew about, the Room of Requirement, the library, the lake; he couldn't check any of the girl's bathrooms or dorms, but he had a feeling she wasn't there either. Finally, he made it to the common room, defeated.

"You couldn't find her?" Hermione asked as Harry took a seat in front of the fireplace. Ron glared at him, and Harry shifted uncomfortably.

"No. I swear, I looked everywhere. Couldn't find her anywhere. Any ideas?" They both shook their heads, looking more sympathetic.

Hermione sighed. "I was afraid something like this would happen."

"You couldn't have given me a warning, then?" Harry asked. He hadn't seen this coming. A couple years ago, he would have believed that Ginny would do something like try to kiss him, but he had thought she had gotten over her crush on him.

"I figured you knew. She hasn't been subtle with her flirting." Harry blushed at Hermione's tone. He was oblivious to girls, she had to know that.

"So, you don't like her?" Ron asked carefully. Harry didn't look at him as he answered.

"As a friend, sure. But I don't fancy her like that." He didn't miss the looks Ron and Hermione exchanged and wished they wouldn't talk about him right in front of him like that. Even if they weren't actually speaking, Ron and Hermione had a way of communicating that was unlike anything Harry was capable of with them. He supposed he and Draco had a silent communication system, but he and Draco were pretty special. (If he did say so himself.) "What am I supposed to do?" He asked.

They both jumped, but Hermione answered. "I think you should let her have some space. What she just went through was rather humiliating, and she could use some time to herself. When you see her, ask her if she wants to talk. If she doesn't, let her come to you, and if she does, talk to her. Tell her how you really feel, whatever that is. Be honest, but gentle."

Harry nodded, he could do that. Thank god for Hermione.

He told them he needed a walk, and he was going to look for Ginny while he was out. They both nodded, apparently satisfied with that, as Harry set out to his and Draco's room. He did look for Ginny on the way, checking behind every tapestry and hidden corridor, but never went too far out of the way.

Draco was sitting in his chair reading a book when Harry walked in the room. Draco couldn't have been waiting long, he wondered why he brought the book, had he been there a while?

He decided to lay down on the couch, the stresses of the day overcoming him. He was face down in the cushions, groaning, when he felt the pressure of Draco climbing on top of him. The groan turned into a moan as Draco covered his body with his own, leg on leg, arm on arm. He felt a couple kisses on the back of his neck and hummed.

"I'm sorry, about today," he mumbled into the cushion, half hoping Draco wouldn't hear him.

He did. He stopped his kissing to nuzzle his head next to Harry. "I know you are. But you didn't do anything wrong. Don't misunderstand me, I'm upset, and I want you to coddle me, but I don't want you to feel badly on my account. This is just a fucked-up situation."

"I think I need to tell her."

"Hmm?"

"I need to tell Ginny I have someone. Not you, but someone. Someone I love more than anyone else in the world."

"Is that cruel? Or would it be worse to say that you just don't like her in return, for absolutely no reason?"

Harry sighed. He wasn't sure which was crueler. Draco started rubbing his arms comfortingly. He was so glad he was already in a relationship, they were too complicated for him.

"You're mine," Draco whispered against his skin, sending shivers up and down Harry's spine.

"I'm yours," Harry agreed. Draco's hands moved down his body, pulling his shirt up. Draco moved his head further down his spine, spreading kisses.

"I want to mark you," Draco said, Harry knew he wasn't seeking permission. "Because you're mine, and mine alone." He started sucking little spots all over Harry's back. Harry jumped when one of them happened upon his spine, he was apparently extremely sensitive there.

"Do that again," he requested. Draco did so.

"I think we've discovered a new 'spot' on you." He grinned.

Harry just moaned in response.

He came down, panting, several minutes later, as he looked at Draco's face. Draco grinned at him, licking his lips. Harry felt himself twitch at the sight. "You are so gorgeous." Harry told him, summoning a handkerchief to wipe Draco's face off.

"You're mine." Draco told him and leaned forward to kiss him heatedly. Harry pushed him back, so he could give Draco the same treatment.

Afterwards they cuddled on the couch. "Oh, I finally got your present for you. They were on back order because the new one is so popular."

"New one of what?" Harry asked as Draco summoned his bag over to him. Lazy bastard .

Draco handed him an elegantly wrapped gift, and Harry opened it at his typical slow pace. Draco chuckled as he watched him. The man was adorable.

Harry pulled the paper aside to reveal a thick paperback book. 'Disenchanted' was written across the top in curly, gold lettering, the curls off to the side were swaying back in forth in invisible wind. Below that was a picture of a couple, kissing, their hair and clothes moving in the same wind, but never separating their lips. It was pretty reserved for a wizarding book.

"It's a series, about a soul mate couple. I know it's a myth, but I thought you'd enjoy it.

"It's a romance novel." Harry said, reading the back cover, trying not to sound too unappreciative. He wasn't entirely sure why Draco would give him this.

"And you are the biggest romantic I know. Just give it a shot, Sweetheart. I have a feeling you'll like it." Draco rubbed his back as Harry fell back against him. He opened to the first page.

"Ethan grew up in an unkind fashion. His parents had died when he was very young, at the hands of someone else. He was shipped off to his the home of his father's brother and his wife. They were ashamed that Ethan's Father had married a muggleborn, and produced a Half-Blood to their line of purity, and treated Ethan as one might a House-elf. Ethan was alone for most of his childhood, but then, he met Noah, and he was never alone again." Harry read aloud. He looked up at Draco.

"Is it just me, or does this sound an awful lot like my life?"

"I haven't the faintest what you're referring to." Draco kissed his cheek. Harry rolled his eyes. "It's getting a lot of attention because it features a gay couple, it's sort of the first of its kind. I want to support that, even if you don't end up liking it."

Harry hummed. "You're right about that. Is there a lot of controversy around it?"

"I guess, but I think most people are accepting of it. For some reason, middle-aged women are the ones who are buying the most, and in my experience, it's them who are most vocal about their displeasure on the subject."

Harry hummed non-committedly. He wasn't about to agree with Draco's stereotypes.

He continued reading aloud to Draco as the author described more of Ethan's childhood and day leading up to meeting Noah. He had to admit, the writer was very talented, and it made the story enchanting, despite its name.

Draco kissed his head intermittently, and Harry hadn't had so much fun reading in a long time. He thought he would enjoy his present.

Harry ended up running into Ginny several times over the next couple days, but she ran from him every time he so much as waved at her. He took Hermione's advice and let her avoid him, figuring she would come to him when she was ready.

She did, even if it did take quite a while.

"Can we talk?" She asked from beside him one evening in the common room. Harry looked up from his homework, amazed at the sight of her.

As he watched her, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking right back at him, face set in determination.

Harry nodded and stood. Ginny led him to an abandoned classroom and took a seat atop the teacher's desk. Harry stood awkwardly, looking around and not quite sure how to start this conversation. Ginny stared at him, chewing on her bottom lip.

It was quiet for several stretches of moments, then Ginny said in a clam, cool voice, "I'm sorry, Harry."

Harry joined her on the table, taking a seat next to her. "You don't have to be sorry. It's not like it was a huge deal."

Ginny shook her head. "I humiliated the both of us in front of the entire school."

"I wouldn't say that."

"It's the truth."

"Maybe, I just wouldn't say it," Harry tried to joke. Ginny bumped his shoulder, harder than necessary. "It really isn't that big of a deal, Ginny. Most people have already forgotten about it."

"There's no chance for us, is there?" Ginny asked, sounding more resigned than anything. "I really thought there was something between us, but I guess I must have imagined it."

Harry frowned. "I wouldn't say there's nothing between us. I really like hanging out with you, as a friend. You're kind, and hilarious, fierce, and you make a wonderful friend. I think our friendship is something special, and I want to see where it takes us. But, yes, it'll have to be as friends. Is that enough for you?"

"Did you say 'friend' enough?" Ginny asked dryly. Harry opened his mouth, but Ginny continued. "Yes, it's plenty for me. I think I did see something that just wasn't there. You don't feel that way about me, do you?" Harry suspected she knew the answer, but he shook his head anyways. "I thought so. At first, I was just hoping that you were embarrassed we kissed in front of everyone, but then I realized that if you felt the way I feel about you, you wouldn't be embarrassed." Harry shifted guiltily. "You have someone, don't you? Someone you're in love with."

Harry's neck almost cracked he moved to look at her so quickly. Her head was tilted to the side, her eyes squinted at him as if she could see the answer written across his face. He blinked, then looked down at his shoes, hanging in the air in front of him. He had already given the answer away, but…

"Yeah. A boyfriend." He peeked at Ginny, but she didn't look hurt, just interested.

"Who?"

Harry shook his head. "We're keeping it under wraps for now, I'm not allowed to tell anyone, but I promise, as soon as we start telling people, you'll be one of the first to know."

"Why are you keeping it a secret?" Ginny asked. She didn't sound mad.

"Because Voldemort is after me, and he used Sirius to get to me. If he found another person he could use, and he ended up killing…my boyfriend, it would kill me. We're hiding it from everyone, so he doesn't find out, and we've both agreed it's better than the alternative."

"Which is?"

"Breaking up."

"Ah." They were quiet for a couple more minutes, both lost in thought. "I don't really understand why you wouldn't at least tell your friends, but—" Harry opened his mouth, but Ginny continued. "I know I can't tell you what to do. This must mean a lot to you, if you've kept it secret for—how long have you been together?"

Harry blushed. "Three years. Yeah." He added at Ginny's dumbfounded look. He shrugged.

"Wow. Three years, and no one knew anything about it. Do Ron and Hermione know?" Harry shook his head.

"They don't know I'm dating someone, they don't know who it is, they don't know anything. Can you keep this to yourself?" Ginny nodded sadly.

"I wish I didn't have to. You know…" She trailed off.

"Yes?"

"Nothing. Just…you can come talk to me, about anything, alright? I really would like to try and be friends, just friends. If you were serious about that."

"I was. I really would like to be your friend, Ginny. Will you have me?"

Ginny snorted indelicately, and Harry found himself liking her even more for it.

She stuck out her hand for Harry to shake and he did so, smiling lightly at her. Ginny chuckled and bumped his shoulder with hers. Harry returned and they got into a bit of a fight. Harry was impressed with her toughness. He was the first one to say, "Ow!"

"Are you coming," Harry asked when he realized Ginny wasn't following him to the door.

"I'm going to stay here for a bit. I'll see you back in the Common Room." Ginny smiled, but to Harry it seemed a bit forced. He hesitated. He had become much more comfortable with tears and generally crying women, but he wasn't sure he was wanted or needed here. Ginny waved him away, and Harry figured it would probably be best if he left. He had to admit, it was pretty likely Ginny wouldn't be able to tell him what was bothering her.


	16. Year 6 Part VI

**A/N: This is the final chapter of this particular story. Enjoy! More on that at the bottom**.

**Warning: This is a real tear-jerker, at the end, there are some very dark thoughts, probably bordering suicidal. And then there's a cliffhanger. You have been warned. **

* * *

When Harry got a message from Dumbledore, his first thought was that it must mean Dumbledore had found another Horcrux. On his way up to his office, he ran into Professor Trelawney. He hadn't missed her or her classes at all, but he talked to her for a while, and that's how he found out about Snape being the one who set Voldemort on his parents. He was the one who told Voldemort the first half of the prophecy, which resulted in Voldemort coming after him and his family.

He stood there, waves of horror crashing down upon him, and Trelawney didn't even realize what she had done. He raced up to Dumbledore's office, leaving her there, where he confronted Dumbledore.

Dumbledore did indeed want to take him to get a horcrux, which took some of the steam in his anger—there was still a pot boiling, however.

Minutes later, he was rushing off to get his Felix Felicis, under the guise of getting his invisibility cloak. He always kept it on him now a days. He sent a quick message to Draco, hoping his plan would work, as he ran up to the tower.

There was a dosage for enough for four for a couple hours. He wouldn't need any, but he had Ron, Hermione, and Ginny each take a small dose. They only did so thinking Harry would take the last one; he didn't.

On his way back to Dumbledore's office, he ran into Draco as he had hoped he'd be able to. "Come in here, quickly," Harry said in a rush as he grabbed Draco and pushed him into the empty classroom. "I ran into Trelawney, and she said there were people celebrating in the room of requirement. I think that something might be happening tonight, and Dumbledore's leaving. I want you to be ready to leave. And take this." He held out the Felix Felicis, but Draco merely looked at it.

"Have you taken any?"

"Well—"

"No. I want you to take it." Harry shook his head.

"I'll be with Dumbledore, and I won't be able to concentrate unless I know you are safe. Now, take it." Harry thrusted it at him, but Draco raised a delicate eyebrow and Harry knew he wasn't going to take it.

"Harry, you're going to get a horcrux, there are unknowable dangers you're about to face. You need it more than I do." Harry sighed, but swished the small amount around in the vial, before glaring at Draco. He put it in his mouth, under his tongue, and constricted his neck. He held out his arms, as if to ask, "happy?"

Draco smiled, though his eyes were worried, and Harry pushed him back against the door, grabbing his wrists as he thrust his tongue down Draco's mouth. He hummed in confusion at the liquid suddenly pouring into his mouth, but Harry kept kissing him until he was forced to swallow or choke.

He fought Harry lightly, and Harry let him go as soon as he could.

Draco glared. "What the hell was that! Did you just—"

"Yes. I did. And I'm not going to apologize for it if it keeps you alive." They glared at each other, still standing close and breathing harshly.

"The second you get back, I am going to tear into you for doing that." He said. Harry nodded, he expected nothing less. Draco nodded as well, then they were _actually _kissing. Harry threw his arms around Draco, Draco threw his around Harry, and they kissed, possibly, more passionately than they ever had, unsure of what they were both about to face.

"Promise me you'll be ok," Harry whispered against Draco's lips.

Draco nodded. "I promise. Now, promise me you will be ok." Harry nodded as well.

"I promise." Harry said. "And I'll see you soon. Don't worry about me too much, alright? I'll be with Dumbledore." Draco sighed, but nodded, looking down. Harry moved his lips forward just a little, to kiss Draco lightly. "_Everything_ is going to be ok. I love you. Be safe. I've got to go." Harry's hand was on the door when Draco pushed it closed again, attacking Harry one last time, quickly.

"I know. Just…be safe too. Try not to be too much of a Gryffindor, alright?" Harry chuckled, amazed that Draco could get him to laugh at a time like this. He put his hand against Draco's cheek, stroking it lightly. Draco placed his hand on top of Harry's holding it when Harry slowly moved away. Their arms stretched out as more distance came between them, until they were standing as far apart as they could while they were still holding hands. Then, they disconnected, their hands falling to their sides, and Harry was gone.

* * *

Hogwarts was in the distance, coming ever closer. Harry glanced over to Dumbledore, who was sturdy on his broom, determined, despite what had just happened. The cave had been horrible, and force-feeding Dumbledore whatever had been in that potion might have been the worst thing he had ever done.

He didn't know for sure what they were going to find, when they got up to the tower, but it couldn't be good. He had a feeling this night was about to get that much worse.

They landed at the top of the astronomy tower, and the silence was deafening, tense, the calm before the storm. Harry made his way to the door, but Dumbledore made a noise as he fell against the wall, it pulled Harry back towards him.

"Professor!" He called, as he grabbed Dumbledore's arm.

"I'm fine," Dumbledore returned, and Harry thought it might be like all those times he said he was fine and wasn't.

They both stood, and Dumbledore instructed Harry to put his invisibility cloak on. Harry did so, and just as he disappeared from view, the door banged open.

There was a whispered spell, and a shouted one, and Dumbledore was leaning against the wall. "Ah," he said, completely at ease with the situation. Harry was not, he was stiff as a board against the wall next to Dumbledore. He had used his moment of defense to ensure Harry couldn't move. "Mr. Malfoy."

If Harry could have gasped, he would have. Draco stepped forward out of the shadows, looking around, probably looking for Harry.

"Professor Dumbledore!" He exclaimed, finally focusing on Dumbledore. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was you. There's a fight downstairs, there are Death Eaters here, they're here to kill you! What's wrong, are you alright, Professor?"

He moved closer to Dumbledore, looking at Dumbledore with concern. He moved carefully, as if afraid that he might run into something. Maybe Harry.

"It's quite alright, Mr. Malfoy. Considering the present circumstances, I expect no less from you." Dumbledore slipped a little further down the wall, and Draco came forward even more, eyes fixated on the two brooms Harry and Dumbledore had abandoned.

"Where…?" Draco trailed off, apparently realizing he couldn't ask where Harry was.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, a small smile came to his face. "Where is who, Mr. Malfoy? Harry is fine."

If Harry wasn't frozen already, he would have been at that. Draco did freeze. "Wh-what?" He asked in a shaky voice.

"Mr. Potter is just fine. I know it is he you are most concerned with. What we need to focus on right now, is you, Mr. Malfoy. Have you a plan for escaping tonight? I fear the Death Eaters will want you to go with them tonight. It was not wise to come here when Harry warned you to stay away."

Draco's jaw dropped. "How do you know about that? You know about…us?"

"I must admit, it was quite the surprise when I found out two years ago. I commend you on your subterfuge. It was a rather Slytherin plan, I assume it was yours?"

"No. Harry's actually. He couldn't bear the thought of being separated from me, so we decided to just pretend to be enemies." Draco looked and sounded like he wasn't quite sure why he was telling him this.

"I see. I had always wondered how long you were together, there was no way of knowing without asking."

"We were friends before school started, then my Father forced me to be mean to him, but Harry convinced me to be friends. We started dating a little into third year." Draco still looked confused.

Dumbledore smiled at him. "I cannot tell you how pleased I am to hear that. Love has truly conquered with the two of you. I fear there is still much you will have to deal with, but I promise you, the journey in itself is worth it. There will come a time when you will look back on what you have faced, and be grateful, because it brought you so much joy."

"Sir?"

"My time…Mr. Malfoy, I'm afraid we don't have much longer. We must act. Before—"

The door banged open, and figures wearing dark robes bled onto the roof of the tower. They were laughing.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" One of the figures asked, a gleam in their eye.

"We've got Dumbledore, wandless!" Another cackled. "And Draco! Here, we thought you had abandoned the dark side, when all this time, you've been following through on your mission. Your Father would be proud after all."

Draco had frozen again, only his eyes going back and forth between the group of Death Eaters and Dumbledore. Harry strained against the invisible bonds, wanting to fight. With him, Draco and Dumbledore, they could take the four Death Eaters. If he could only break free, he could get to Dumbledore's wand, return it to him, still invisible, and take out one before the others would know what was happening.

"Get on with it!" The other Death Eater circled to the other side of the tower, looking down. "Sure would hate to fall from here."

"Shut up, Man. I don't care about your damn fear of heights. Let's go, Malfoy, that shield won't last forever."

"I…" Draco said. He turned back to look at Dumbledore.

"Gentlemen, lady. Welcome to Hogwarts. Are you finding your arrangements agreeable?" Dumbledore asked pleasantly. "How are all of you all this fine evening?"

Most of the Death Eaters were stunned speechless, but one of them snorted. "That's sure like Dumbledore. Ain't you realize what's 'bout to happen, then?"

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "I'm not entirely sure what you mean when you speak in broken English."

The one who had last spoken broke forward, intent on attacking Dumbledore, but two of the others grabbed him, holding him back. "Why I oughta…" He shook his fist, and Harry was gripped by hysterical amusement.

"Enough of this, Draco, what are you waiting for?"

"I…I…I…" Harry stared at Draco, not sure what he should do, he fought, hard, against the bonds. Was it his imagination, or were his fingers twitching?

"I can't believe it! He's choking! Move aside, I'll do it!" The one that wasn't holding the other stepped forward, but the one on the left held him back.

"No! It must be Draco! He has to be the one to do it! Go ahead, Draco! Prove to us your worth." The was a manic gleam on her face.

Draco swallowed, and Harry had never seen him more terrified. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and drew himself up. When he opened his eyes, he said, "I can't." His voice was clear, and strong. It stunned the Death Eaters, yet again.

"You can't mean that?"

"What's the trouble?"

Their voices traveled over each other, all trying to talk at once. There was a deep voice behind them. "Quiet!" It demanded, and they fell silent again, parting to allow Snape into their midsts. One of the Death Eaters tried to tell him something, but Snape only lifted his hand to order him to fall silent.

Draco stared at him with wide eyes. After a moment, he moved forward, stepping in front of Dumbledore. Snape waved him aside with a look.

"Please." The word came from Dumbledore, it was the weakest Harry had ever heard him. Dumbledore looked up at him, and Snape looked down. There was a look of hatred etched across his face. "Severus, Please."

With that, there was a flash of green, and Dumbledore was falling. Harry was screaming, silently, Draco at full volume. The next several seconds Harry would never clearly remember. He turned, and cast the aristo momentum spell, that slowed Dumbledore's descent. He refused to consider that it didn't help, didn't do any good.

While he was doing that, something happened to Draco. There was an altercation, and Draco was suddenly floating in front of Snape, unconscious.

Snape was ordering the Death Eaters below, and they were running. They couldn't be allowed to get away.

They had Draco.

Harry ran, as fast as he could, through the spells flying through the air, the bodies blocking him. "Move!" He yelled, as he ran by the people fighting. Various people stopped him, got in his way, prevented him from continuing. If it hadn't been for them, he might have made it.

He raced through the castle, screaming, yelling, doing anything to prevent the Death Eaters from escaping. _For enemies, _popped into his head.

He took down two before they made it out of the castle. _Sectumsempra_. The third, he got on the stairs leading out of the castle. _For Enemies._ The fourth, he stunned almost to the gates.

_Sectumsempra,_ crossed his mind. _For enemies_. "Coward," he screamed. Snape turned, within reach of the gates.

"Coward?" He screamed back. "Coward, am I, Potter? Your Father—"

"Shut up about my damn Father! I'm not him, you sniveling—!"

"Don't call me that!" Harry shot a spell at him and Snape deflected it. "You must learn to close your mind, Potter! You must learn to store your emotions away, not let them affect you, or you will be a sitting duck for whatever comes your way!" He was still fucking teaching.

_Levicorpus!_

"How dare you! Using my own spells against me!" Horror claimed Harry. "That's right Potter! I know you stole my old potions book. Mine, the Half-Blood Prince's!" _For enemies._ Snape was definitely an enemy. Harry was laying face down in the dirt, subject to one of Snape's spells.

He looked up at Snape's back, he was running again to the gates. He was almost there and once he left, he would get away, and Harry might never see him again, might never get the opportunity to stop him. _For enemies._ He would never get another chance. _For enemies._

He stood, picking himself up heavily. _For enemies_

He wielded his wand, pointing directly at Snape's back. _For Draco_

"Sectumsempra!" He yelled, and the spell shot from his wand, heading towards Snape. _For enemies._

Snape, at the moment, was his greatest enemy.

Just as he thought the spell would connect, would hit Snape in the back and send him careening forward, Snape tripped, or fell, or dodged completely. Harry would never know which it was.

Randomly, a thought entered Harry's head. Newton's Law of Motion.

_An object in motion will stay in motion unless an external force is applied to it. _

Newton had no idea of magic, but it still applied.

A spell will keep moving forward, unless an object hits it, or it hits an object.

In this case, the spell hit a floating, unconscious Draco.

Blood splattered away from Draco, in all directions. Hundreds of cuts appeared on his body, slicing him, this way and that.

Harry stopped. For one moment, he was horror struck, completely frozen, as waves hit him. He couldn't handle anything else happening, he couldn't process what had just happened. Draco was bleeding, he was hurt, badly, and Harry had hurt him. Harry hurt Draco.

He screamed.

"You've killed him!" Snape yelled at Harry.

Harry sunk to the ground.

"He's dead!" Snape screamed.

He felt cold chills grip his heart.

"Because of you!" Snape bellowed.

Harry broke.

Nothing mattered. Not anymore. He had to get to Draco. He would do anything, absolutely anything, and that had to count for something.

He was blown back. Snape hadn't mattered anymore, so he was out of Harry's mind. He didn't care what Snape did, except that Snape had cursed him, and by the time Harry got up again, he was gone, taking Draco with him.

Draco had taken his heart.

He screamed.

* * *

He wasn't aware of anything. He may have gotten up at some point. He may have been carried or dragged. Someone might have come and gotten him and pulled him along. For all he knew, he could have apparated. All he knew, was nothing mattered, not anymore.

He thought he had seen Dumbledore at some point. He must have, because he was carrying the locket, they had retrieved that night, only it wasn't the locket they had intended. It was a fake. It had all been for nothing.

If Harry wasn't already broken, that had done it.

"Harry." Someone was saying his name. It didn't matter.

"Harry." He sighed. The voice wasn't leaving him alone. He just wanted to die alone, in peace, thank you.

"Harry." He looked up into Sirius's concerned eyes. He lowered his own immediately.

"Harry. Please look at me." Sirius said. Harry looked up, regretting it as soon as he did. "Are you ok?"

Harry shook his head back and forth, slowly. He would never be ok again.

Sirius frowned. "I don't blame you, Kiddo. Can you tell me what happened?" Harry looked back down at his bloody and torn-jean-covered knees. He shook his head again.

"Ok. Harry, Pup, you seem to be the one who was with Dumbledore when he died. Do you know what happened to him? Did he fall?" Harry shook his head once again. "Was he pushed?" He shook his head. "Did someone kill him? One of the Death Eaters?" He nodded. He was startled to hear gasps. There were apparently people around him.

"Who?" Another voice asked. Harry wasn't sure where it came from, but it hardly mattered.

"I think that might be all we get from him right now." Harry sighed. This wasn't fair. Nothing was fair. Maybe they'd leave him alone if he answered their stupid fucking questions.

"Snape killed Dumbledore." Harry killed Draco.

There were murmurs, gasps, sobs. Harry didn't care about any of the noises made, he just hoped they'd leave him alone.

The bed he was sitting on, here in the hospital wing, sank as Sirius sat upon it. Arms were wrapped around them. Sirius just thought he was upset about Dumbledore. He had no idea.

Harry felt like he was drowning. Not just in a still lake, however. He was drowning in an ocean, or a rapid river. He was tumbling through the water, choking on the water that hit him in the face. He was dying, and it was slow and painful.

Conversation echoed around him, but none of it mattered. He fell to the side, the warmth, where Sirius was. Sirius let him, and Harry curled up with his head on Sirius's thigh. He felt so sick. He would never be well again.

He would never see Draco again, or hold him, or kiss him, or tuck him into bed, or wash him clean, or lick, or suck, or fight with, or stroke, or push, or play with, or make love to.

They never had a chance to make love. He should have done it. He should have started a long time ago and never stopped.

He wasn't sure when he realized he was crying. Maybe he had started when Draco…and never really stopped. Or at some point after that. Maybe this was all just a terrible nightmare.

He wished he would wake up. He wanted to wake up so badly.

He was in so much pain. So much pain.

There was some quiet. Some blessed quiet.

"I can't believe he's reacting like this." It was a whisper, he wasn't supposed to hear it.

"They must have been closer than I thought." That either.

It did little to comfort him.

The conversation continued on around him, without him.

Vaguely, he recognized something was happening when Sirius's fingers stopped stroking his hair. He tried to focus on what was happening, only to see Remus being embraced by Tonks. Sirius's fingers clenched in his hair rather painfully. He looked up at Sirius and saw the same pain he was in reflected back.

Lost love.

He turned on his back so he could hug Sirius around his middle. They both needed it. Sirius looked down at him and embraced him back, rubbing his back lightly like Draco…used to do.

Harry started sobbing quietly again.

"Love conquered here tonight." He couldn't even tell who that was, but they were wrong, so very wrong.

Suddenly, he was vertical, glaring at the room. He recognized various Order members and his friends, Weasleys, the whole lot seemed to be here for Dumbledore's impromptu wake.

"Well?" He asked. He got only blank stares in response. "I see. We're just going to pretend that everything is ok. One good thing, and suddenly, everything's fine. Do any of you have any idea what happened tonight? Any of you?" He looked around at them again, not entirely sure where he was going with this, but knowing he was more upset than he had ever been. "How likely do you think it is something's going to happen now?" Several faces seemed to realize where he was going. "Gee, someone attacked Hogwarts. I wish there was someone who said this would happen. Maybe we would have been prepared. Maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe no one would have…died." His voice had been rising, but then it broke. He was so tired.

He was so angry. "All year, all fucking year, I have been trying to tell every one of you something was going to happen. Maybe if even one of you had listened to me, even thought it was possible, just for a minute… But no. Harry's gone crazy. Nobody listen to Harry, he has no idea."

"Harry…"

"Haven't I earned the benefit of the doubt, at least? A second glance? Not one single one of you listened to me. You made fun of me, sure. Said it was impossible to pull one over Dumbledore. How impossible is it sounding now?" Ron and Hermione refused to meet his eyes.

"Let's not listen to Harry. He's only risked his life every damn year he's been at Hogwarts when something inevitably happens. He has no reason to be believed."

"Harry, you said Draco Malfoy was planning something." Hermione cut in.

Harry glared at her. "Oh! Draco Malfoy wasn't at the very center of this? Whose plan was it? Who was forced into servitude? Who did the work?"

"What are you talking about? You're not making any sense."

"That's right, Harry never makes sense. We should all just ignore him. He's just screaming in the Hospital Wing for no damn reason. Screw him."

"Harry…"

"Don't you people get it?" No one apparently did. He swore.

"Harry, are you alright? You're acting a little funny?"

Harry snorted, bending in half as he put his head in his hands. He gave out some sort of wailing screech of pain and frustration. The concerned looks he received intensified.

"No, I'm not alright. I'm not even ok. I'm…I'm… I don't even know. I don't think I've ever been this bad." Sirius stood behind him and walked slowly over, placing a cautious hand on his shoulder.

"Draco Malfoy is dead." He told the room, even if Sirius is the only one who knew what he was actually saying.

The hand tightened on his shoulder. "Oh, Harry…" Sirius whispered. Harry supposed it didn't matter anymore—nothing really did—but the Secret didn't anymore.

The room severely underreacted to the news. A few lowered their heads, there were a couple gasps, McGonagall closed her eyes and took a deep breath, but no one screamed in horror, or broke something, or stabbed their own hearts—like Harry felt like doing.

He could tell the whole room what the significance of that was. How Harry and Draco had been together for over three years. How Harry should have accepted Draco's offer of engagement. How Harry loved him, so much, more than anything in the world.

"I killed him." The whisper carried. Now there was horror.

He didn't deserve to have them know what Draco meant. They didn't deserve to know. Why should he share anything with these people who didn't believe him?

Sirius wrapped his arms around Harry as he lowered his head, and the last remaining bit of strength left him. Sirius dragged him over to the bed they had inhabited. There were questions flying around and at him, but for just a moment, there was a bubble of peace his godfather brought him.

"What happened?" Seemed to be the most popular question, Harry heard it repeated, echoing all around the room.

"Oi!" Sirius shouted. There was instant quiet. "We all know Harry, so we know several things. 1. He didn't intend to kill anyone. 2. He's feeling worse than any of us can imagine, so let's give him some space and some peace, and when he's ready, he'll tell us what happened."

Harry let out a breath.

"Dumbledore and I were doing something. I won't tell you what. When we got back, we saw the Dark Mark on the astronomy tower, borrowed some brooms, and made our way up. When we landed Dumbledore full body-bound me and …Malfoy came, and they talked. He had been tasked by Voldemort to kill him, but he didn't. He refused. More Death Eaters came, and they argued. Then Snape came. I thought it was all going to be ok. Then…" Harry couldn't complete the thought.

They understood anyway.

"I chased after Snape. He was floating…Malfoy in front of him, unconscious. I took out the other Death Eaters one by one. Then, we got almost to the gates, and…" He took a deep breath and a sigh. "Snape was his usual self. We fought, and he almost got away, but I sent a spell at him, only it didn't hit Snape, it hit…Malfoy. It killed him."

There was silence. It was oppressive.

"How do you know?" Harry looked up. "That it killed him?"

Harry looked back down. "Blood. There wasso much blood. And Snape said so."

Silence again. "Why would Snape take the body with him if he were already dead?" Hermione wondered.

Harry looked up, glare fierce, and she recoiled back.

"Mr. Potter. What I just heard was an accident." McGonagall tried to console him.

"Yeah, Harry, in an official capacity, I can tell you there may be an investigation, but I seriously doubt anyone will even arrest you." Tonks said from inside Remus's arms.

Harry nodded. He wanted to go to sleep so badly, but he knew he wouldn't be able to. In a way, he knew he didn't deserve the sweet oblivion.

He closed his eyes, laid down, and tried to ignore everyone else.

Out in the distance, he heard Fawkes' song, and sobbed again, he had found the soundtrack to his pain.

Things happened around him, and he lost track of everything but his thoughts of Draco. Time, days, conversations, movement, it was all lost to him. He would never remember the next few days except in vague recollection.

Aurors questioned him, teachers talked to him, his friends never left him alone for long. He didn't sleep, he didn't eat, every breath hurt.

Dumbledore's funeral was so painful. He barely paid attention, and he felt even worse about that.

Ron and Hermione finally left him alone for a while after the funeral, he wandered around, not doing much of anything except thinking.

He felt…well, he felt a lot of what he was feeling.

He had a plan, but he didn't know how he would do it. He didn't feel like doing anything. He was so empty. The only thing he was living for was defeating Voldemort. It was something only he could do, so he would do it. After that, he wasn't sure.

Things would be tough for a while. What was he thinking? Things would be tough for the rest of his life.

He would find the horcruxes, destroy them, and take on Voldemort. If he had to sacrifice everything in his life to defeat him, then that's what it would take. If it took his very life, then so be it. At the moment, it would be a relief.

He didn't know how he was going to make it without Draco. He had become essential to his very soul. He couldn't really live without Draco.

He looked out over the lake. It was one of the most beautiful days he had ever seen. The sky had never been bluer, not a cloud in the sky, the sun gleaming and casting rays over the still water. It was as if the world was celebrating Dumbledore's life, and Harry thought it couldn't be more fitting for Albus Dumbledore.

No one was celebrating Draco. It was just a footnote on a terrible night to most of them. He had been cleared of any wrongdoing and he felt like screaming at the injustice of that. Draco deserved the world, so much better than Harry. He deserved better than his end.

For about the millionth time, Harry felt tears burn his eyes. It was time to lay Draco to rest and try to put his mind to what he had to do. He would never succeed if thoughts of Draco were already killing him.

He closed his eyes and thought of him, everything he loved and everything he hated. They blended together. Thousands of images flew in his mind's eye, each a wonderful memory, even the bad ones, because they contained Draco.

_I'm so sorry._ He told Draco silently. It was almost funny, but he didn't feel like Draco was dead and gone. He felt like Draco was in his heart, and he would always carry him with him, wherever he went, wherever he would go.

It was a strange feeling. Draco would always be with him, he would never forget him, and he would never forgive himself for how he had died.

He would always love him. Always. And forever.

He was in so much pain. It was time. He really needed more of it, but he needed to start his journey, the world wasn't going to wait for him to come to terms with the death of the love of his life.

_I'm going to let you go now,_ he thought. _It doesn't mean I don't love you. I always will. I promise. But I need to let you go._

That was when his wrist heated.

_Harry?_

* * *

**A/N: I almost ended it two sentences earlier, aren't you glad I didn't? There was also a possible plot line where Harry didn't find out Draco was still alive and Draco was trapped for a couple months until they were reunited. I decide not to go that route. As I said, this is the final chapter to this particular story, years 1-6; year 7 is long enough that it was worth it to make a whole new story. The first chapter will be up next Sunday, but I haven't decided the update schedule yet, as it's a bit of a killer to write. I just didn't want to leave y'all hanging on that cliff hanger. Hope to see you all there! Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, subscribing, everything! I've really enjoyed writing this story and I appreciate every single one who took the time to read it. **

**The story picture, in case you were wondering, is the side of a lake, and it's similar to where I pictured Harry to be when the story ended. **


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